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Burns Day in Detroit 



BEING A 



History of the Movement For a Burns 
Statue in Detroit 



AND A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE 
UNVEILING CEREMONY 



"The highest meed of praise belongs 
To him who makes a people's songs. 
Who strikes one note — the common good. 
One chord — a wider brotherhood." 



Published for private distribution by 

THE DETROIT BURNS CLUB 

DETROIT. MICHIGAN 
I92I 



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Part of the Gathering at the unveiling of Statue, Cass Park, on Saturday, July 23rd., 1921 



FOREWORD 

by 
WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE 

Detroit has to be congratulated on now possessing 
a woi thy monument to the Poet of Humanity, Robert 
Burns. This has been made possible by the splendid 
work of the Detroit Burns Club which culminated in 
the unveiling of the beautiful statue in Cass Park 
on the afternoon of Saturday, July 23rd last. 

I think it is a splendid idea to publish a souvenir 
book commemorative of the event, especially as this 
will make available to admirers of Burns through- 
out the world, the wonderful addresses which w^ere 
delivered by the learned gentlemen who participated. 

The small part which it was my good fortune to 
perform at the unveiling exercises will ever be a 
source of pleasant memories to me. 

While congratulating the Burns Club on the splen- 
did success achieved, I cannot but feel that the lion's 
share of the credit belongs to Mr. Edward Good- 
willie, president of the Club. The indefatigable way 
in which he worked for this statue for a number of 
years entitles him to the highest credit. With all 
the discouragements with which he had to contend 
since the proposal to build the monument was 
started, many men would have been disheartened, 
but regardless of storm or sunshine he steadily 
persevered. Surely if Scotch tenacity was ever 
demonstrated more fully than in the work which 
Mr. Goodwillie did in connection with this statue, 
it would be difficult to find. It is always necessary 
to have one captain to a ship, and he certainly was 
the "man at the helm" in this case. 

May this book, as it goes on its journey, be a bond 
between Detroit lovers of Burns and the millions 
who worship at his shrine in all parts of the world. 



ueyWi/yiMM^H^J 




EDWARD GOODWILLIE 
Founder and President, Detroit Burns Club 



HISTORY OF THE MOVEMENT 



Founding of The Detroit Burns Club 

On the twenty-fifth of January, 1912, a few Detroit 
admirers of Robert Burns were invited to meat to- 
gether, on the invitation of Mr. Edward Goodwill.e, 
to consider the formation of a Burns Club in the city. 
This small meeting accomplished its purpose and 
■"The Detroit Burns Club" was duly incorporated 
under the laws of the State of Michigan, Mr. Good- 
willie being elected the first president of the Club, 

The objects of the Club, as stated in the Articles of 
Association, were "to celebrate in suitable manner the 
Birth of Robert Burns, and to honor his memory in 
such other ways as may be from time to time deter- 
mined." It may be stated that the main idea at the 
Club's inception was the erection of a statue of 
Burns in the city, and therefore it is not surprising 
that when the Constitution and By-Laws of the Club 
were adopted we find that the first object of the Club 
is stated as follows: 

"To erect a statue of Robert Burns in the City of 
Detroit," 

At first it was decided to limit the Club membei'- 
ship to thirty, but so many applications for member- 
ship were received that this rule was abolished, and 
just prior to the outbreak of the Great War the mem- 
bership had reached one hundred and fifty. The an- 
nual dinners of the Club, held on the anniversary of 
the Poet's birth, have been outstanding through the 
eloquence of the addresses delivered, the list of speak- 
ers including the following names, several of them 
being of national, and even international reputation: 
the late Dr. E. B. Smith, Professor Robert M. Wen- 
ley, Dr. J. B. Kenne-dy, the late Hon. Edwin Hender- 
son, Principal Edwin L. Miller, Mr. Prank T. Lodge, 
Mr. James Schermerhorn, Hon. Edwin Denbv, Sec- 



retary of the Navy; Hon. John. H. Goff. All of these 
annual dinners and in fact all of the meetings of the 
Club since August 1912, have taken place in the Hotel 
Tuller, whose manager always succeeded in arrang- 
ing menus for the dinners worthy of the occasion, 
and in giving the regular meetings a home-like at- 
mosphere. 

The concerts, literary evenings, and other enter- 
tainments given by the Club during its existence of 
nearly a decade, have also been of a very high order 
and have received the generous patronage of the lead- 
ing citizens of Detroit. The Club was fortunate to 
have amongst its members a true poet of Nature in 
the person of Mr. James P. Broomfield who never 
failed, when occasion demanded, to invoke the muse 
successfully for a suitable verse or two. The follow- 
ing is a sonnet by Mr. Broomfield which appeared on 
one of the menus of the Club: 

"Prophetic Burns! How true the song 

That won the laurel for your brow; 
The song that thrilled dear Scotland then, 

And all the world is thrilling now. 
Tyrannic kings, defeated, flee. 

Awakened mankind urge the plan 
You voiced in sentiment so strong — 

The glorious brotherhood of man." 

The following gentlemen have the honor of having 
been president of the Club: 

1912, '20 and '21 Edward Goodwillie 

1913 William Ross 

1914 John Andrew 

1915 Charles R. Low 

1916 W. A. V. Edward 

1917 James D. Swan ' 

1918, '19 Alex. M. MacGregor 




MR. WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE 

President Dime Savings Bank 
Hon. Treasurer, Burns Statue Fund 



Shortly after the incorporation of tlie Club a Burns 
Statue Committee was formed, and it is significant 
that the chairman of this Committee, during its en- 
tire life, was Mr. Edward Goodwillie, who reaped 
the fruit of years of labor on July 23rd last, when he 
had the honor of presenting Detroit's beautiful Burns 
statue to the city. Mr. William Livingstone, presi- 
dent of the Dime Savings Bank, president of the 
Great Lakes Carriers' Association, one of the best 
known vesselmen in the country and an honored citi- 
zen of Detroit, acted as honorary treasurer of the 
Burns Statue Fund all through its existence; and 
every subscription to the Fund was acknowledged 
by an official certificate issued by the Dime Savings 
Bank. 

The movement for the erection of the statue grew 
steadily, as did also the Fund, until the United States 
entered the lamentable World War, when it was very 
wisely decided to cease all activities for the statue, 
and the money in the Statue Fund was invested in 
United States Liberty Bonds. At the glorious con- 
clusion of the struggle, when the world was again 
made safe for democracy, the members of the Burns 
Club redoubled their efforts and it was soon apparent 
that the long-looked-for goal would soon be reached. 
The fund was very considerably augmented by hand- 
some contributions from Colonel Walter Scott of New 
York (the largest individual subscriber), the late 
Mr. Andrew Carnegie, and Mr. Walter C. Piper, of 
Detroit, the last-named of whom donated a city lot 
which was raffled for the fund. A big Fair (held in 
St. Andrew's Hall and lasting for three days), con- 
certs and moonlight excursions on the Detroit river, 
all helped to swell the fund, and soon it was possible 
to call a meeting for the selection of a suitable statue. 



The Jean Armour Club 

The Burns Statue Committee enlisted the sym- 
pathy and practical support of the ladies early in the 
movement. In February 1914, a circular letter was 
sent to a number of ladies likely to be interested in 
the movement, and this invitation was accepted by 
thirty ladies who met in the Hotel TuUer. The ut- 
most enthusiasm prevailed, and it was unanimously 
agreed that a Club be formed to be called the "Jean 
Armour Club." This Club resolved that it would 
act as an auxiliary to the Burns Statue Committee, 
and that it would exist only until the proposed Burns 
Statue was erected and presented to the city. Need- 
less to say, this action of the ladies was highly en- 
couraging to the members of the Statue Committee. 

At the first meeting of the Jean Armour Club, Mrs. 
Edward Goodwillie was unanimously elected presi- 
dent, and Mrs. William L. Cullen, secretary and treas- 
urer, and to their great credit be it said that these 
two ladies held their respective offices until the Burns 
Statue was unveiled and turned over to Detroit. At 
one time the membership of the Club was almost one 
hundred and £fty. 

The efforts of the ladies were particularly success- 
ful in connection with the Fair held in 1915, and also 
at their annual Rummage Sales held in the Franklin 
Settlement House. The ladies' Club also had an 
unique method for raising funds by a continuous 
series of teas given in the homes of the members. 
These teas not only added greatly to the Burns Statue 
Fund, but also were a source of much pleasure to 
those attending them. It can safely be said that the 
enthusiasm displayed by the ladies of the Jean 
Armour Club greatly exceeded the enthusiasm of a 
great many of the members of the Burns Club, and 
their efforts resulted in raising a considerable part 
of the Statue Fund, 







li 




'^1 


||P- ■ . 



MRS. EDWARD GOODWILLIE 
President oi The Jean Armour Club 



Selecting the Statue 

It would be useless to deny the fact that the De- 
troit Burns Club would have liked to have got an 
original Burns statue for Detroit, but after a careful 
scrutiny of the photographs of "original" statues of 
Burns, erected in different parts of the world, it was 
unanimously agreed that it would be better to choose 
a replica of a really first class statue of the poet 
which had received the unqualified praise of lovers 
of Burns and of recognized sculptors and art critics, 
than to place a commission for an "original" statue 
which might or might not prove satisfactory. The 
Burns statue at Ayr, Scotland, is admittedly one of 
the best statues of the poet in existence, and in a 
popular contest it would probably be voted the best 
statue of the poet yet erected. The committee, hav- 
ing made inquiry and having found that a bronze 
replica of the Ayr statue could be procured at a rea- 
sonable cost, recommended to the Club that a bronze 
replica of the Ayr statue be selected for Detroit. The 
recommendation was unanimously adopted and a con- 
tract was drawn up between Messrs. William Doig 
and Company of London, England, representing the 
estate of the late Mr. George A. Lawson, Hon. R. S. 
A., sculptor of the Ayr statue, and the Detroit Burns 
Club. This contract called for an exact replica in 
bronze of the statue at Ayr, and also for three 
panels in bronze, also by Mr. Lawson, for insertion 
in the pedestal. The statue and panels are described 
later. 

It was thought very desirable to have a committee 
in England which would look after the interests of 
the Detroit Burns Club, inspecting the statue during 
its progress in the celebrated foundry of Mr. A. B, 
Burton at Thames Ditton, Surrey, and otherwise rep- 
resenting the Club. It was therefore fortunate for 
the Club that Mr. Goodwillie, chairman of the Statue 



H- 



Committee, had a friend in Liverpool in the person 
of Major Robert S. Archer, V. D., for the past twenty 
years secretary of the Liverpool Burns Club, and 
probably the best known Scot in the great city on the 
Mersey, where he has long resided. To the great 
satisfaction of the members of the Detroit Burns 
Club, Major Archer consented to act as chairman of 
the proposed English committee. The Major is an 
honored citizen of Liverpool whose forte seems to 
have been the Volunteers and their successors the 
Territorials, with which he has been connected for 
the last forty-six years. As an evidence of his grand 
work for these organizations, it may be mentioned 
that he holds the Long Service Medal, Volunteer Dec- 
oration and the Territorial Force War Medal. He 
was mobilized on August 4th, 1914, being nominated 
in command of a Reserve Brigade, and he served as 
depot officer, enlisting 7000 men. It was no wonder 
then that the members rejoiced to hear that Major 
Archer was to represent the Club in England. The 
Major selected as his confreres in London the fol- 
lowing well-known and highly esteemed gentlemen 
of the British metropolis; Mr. John Douglas, presi- 
dent, Caledonian Society of London; Mr. William 
Will, past president, London Robert Burns Club; Mr. 
J. R. Moncrieff, past president, Caledonian Society 
of London; and Mr. Geo. W. Paton, vice-president, 
Royal Scottish Corporation of London. 

The Detroit Burns Club feels under a lasting obli- 
gation to these gentlemen for their invaluable as- 
sistance. Owing to labor troubles and the abnormal 
increase in the output from Mr. Burton's foundry on 
account of the hundreds of war memorials being 
erected throughout the world, the Detroit statue was 
much delayed in the foundry, but the English com- 
mittee "kept the home fires burning." They paid sev- 
eral visits to the foundry, and before the statue was 
accepted they made a final report in which they ex- 



12 




MAJOR ROBERT S. ARCHER, V. D. 
Secretary, Liverpool Burns Club 



pressed entire satisfaction with the work. The thanks 
of the Club are especially due to Major Archer for 
the indefatigable zeal which he displayed in getting 
the statue shipped and in looking after the Club's 
financial matters in England. The spirit displayed 
by the members of this English committee shows the 
wonderful fraternal feeling which exists amongst lov- 
ers of Burns throughout the worlu. 

A word of thanks is here due to the Cunard Steam- 
ship Company Limited, which, through Mr. Charles 
Stewart of the Boston office, very kindly agreed to 
carry the statue free of charge from London to Mon- 
treal, thus saving the Club several hundred dollars. 



13 



The pedestal of the Detroit statue was specially de- 
signed by the well-known architects, Messrs. Smith, 
Hinchman and Grylls, of Detroit, and its proportions 
have been very favorably commented upon. Messrs. 
Cartwright Brothers of Detroit supplied the granite 
pedestal and erected the statue. 

Description of Statue and Pedestal 

The Detroit Burns Statue is a replica in bronze of 
the beautiful work of art at Ayr, Scotland, by the 
late George A. Lawson, Hon. R. S. A. It is of heroic 
size, being nine feet in height, and stands on a 
pedestal of New Hampshire granite eleven feet high, 
so that the entire height of the monument is twenty 
feet. The following description is from an interest- 
ing article on Burns statues in the London "Art 
Journal," by Mr. Edward Pinnington, a well-known 
art critic: "At Ayr, Mr. Lawson has quickened in- 
tellectual force with poetic fire and passion. The 
arms are crossed, the hands clenched, and the gaze 
earnest and concentrated; to the simple grace of the 
figure elements are added of both thought and re- 
pressed feeling. Burns might have stood thus read- 
ing his poems to Edinburgh society; thus he might 
have written his impassioned farewell to Clarinda; 
conned his ode to Mary, or finished the ringing "Scots 
Wha Hae.' The work can neither be located by in- 
cident, nor specialized in respect of sentiment. It is 
Burns broadly generalized; the inseeing, rapt, in- 
tense poet. * * * rpj^g freedom, grasp and breadth 
of the basic idea of the work indicate a sculptor 
whose knowledge of Burns was not exhausted on his 
coat and breeches." 

The front of the die of the pedestal contains the 
one word 

BURNS 

in bronze letters, while on the other three sides are 



14 



beautiful bronze panels, by the same sculptor, repre- 
sentative of some of the best scenes from the poet's 
works. One represents Burns at the plough, upturn- 
ing the historic daisy, and beneath it are the lines 

"Wee, modest, crimson-tipped flower, 
Thou's met me in an evil hour." 

Another represents Tam O' Shanter at the Brig o' 
Jjoon, and has the line 

"Nae man can tether time nor tide." 

The third panel illustrates "The Cotter's Saturday 
Night," with the quotation 

"From scenes like these old Scotia's 
grandeur springs." 

The plinth of the pedestal has a verse from a poem 
written on the occasion of the unveiling of the Ayr 
statue of Burns by the late Mr. Wallace Bruce, United 
States Consul at Edinburgh at that time. The verse 
is as follows: 

"The highest meed of praise belongs 
To him who makes a people's songs. 
Who strikes one note — the common good. 
One chord — a wider brotherhood." 

On the bottom base is the line — "Presented to the 
City by The Detroit Burns Club, A. D., 1921." 



The Site 

The Detroit Burns Statue has been erected in Cass 
Park, a beautifully wooded breathing space right in 
the heart of this modern American city. Represen- 



15 



tatives of the Burns Club had several very friendly 
conferences with the City Plan Commission with re- 
gard to a site for the statue, with the result that the 
Commission favorably approved the site in Cass Park, 
approximately seventy-five feet south from the center 
line of Temple avenue, on the axis of Second Boule- 
vard. The City Council and His Honor Mayor 
Couzens approved the recommendation of the Com- 
mission and instructed the secretary of the Parks and 
Boulevards Department to issue a permit for the erec- 
tion of the statue. The statue of the Peasant Poet 
thus almost faces the main entrance to the new ele- 
gant Masonic Temple, and no more fitting site could 
have been adopted, for the image of the immortal 
Burns will forever gaze on the home of his "bro'hers 
of the mystic tie." The view from the new Temple 
will be greatly enhanced by this artistic adornment 
of Cass Park. 

Preparing For the Unveiling 

The pedestal for the statue was erected during the 
month of April, 1921, and as assurance had been 
given that the statue would be shipped from London 
during the following month, committees were ap- 
pointed for the purpose of making and carrying out 
all arrangements for the unveiling of the statue, and 
its presentation to the City of Detroit. President 
Goodwillie and Judge John F. McKinlay composed the 
committee on Speakers and Dinner, while the follow- 
ing general committee had charge of all the arrange- 
ments for the parade and unveiling exercises: John 
Cameron, chairman; John Smith, W. A. V. Edward, J. 

C. Robertson, Thos. G. White, A. M. MacGregor, W. 

D. Pettigrew, Neil R. Sutton, W. J. Stewart, J. P. 
Broomfield, Maxwell McGregor, W. S. Allan, Peter C. 
Gray, John R. Gunn, William Ross, James Cochrane, 
D. W. McGill. 



16 




COLONEL WALTER SCOTT 

of New York 
Who Unveiled the Detroit Burns Statue 



TRe honor of unveiling the statue was offered to, 
and very graciously accepted by Colonel Walter Scott 
of New York, the largest individual subscriber to the 
Statue Fund, past Royal Chief and present Royal 
Tanist of the Order of Scottish Clans of the United 
States and Canada, an ardent student and lover of 
Burns, and known throughout the length and breadth 
of the land for his philanthropic work. The accept- 
ance by Colonel Scott of the invitation to unveil the 
statue and to deliver an address at the dinner fol- 
lowing the unveiling ceremony, was warmly received 
by the Scots of Detroit. 

An effort was made to secure the presence of Vice- 
President Calvin Coolidge at the unveiling, in order 
to deliver the dedicatory address, as the Vice-Presi- 
dent had, on various occasions, given expression to 
his admiration for Robert Burns and his works. The 
Vice-President wrote thanking the committee for its 
kind invitation, and stated that while nothing would 
have given him greater pleasure than to come to De- 
troit and dedicate another statue to the immortal 
Burns, he regretted that his duties at Washington 
would prevent his acceptance of the invitation. How- 
ever, though Mr. Coolidge could not be present in 
person to participate in the exercises, he sent to 
Colonel Scott, to be read at the ceremony, a message 
which might well become a classic in Burnsiana. 
The message is given on another page. 

Colonel Scott was of great assistance to the com- 
mittee in securing a "big" man to deliver the dedi- 
catory address. He wrote saying that "a man of 
national reputation should be found," and shortly 
thereafter the committee secured, through the good 
offices of Mr. Scott, one of the greatest educators in 
the country. President William Allan Neilson, of 
Smith College, Northampton, Mass. President Neil- 
son is not only an educator of international reputa- 
tion but an authority on Robert Burns. Born in 



18 



i 



Perthshire, Scotland, he is a distinguished alumnus 
of Edinburgh University. After teaching in Scotland 
and Toronto, Ont., he was for several years associate 
in English at Bryn Mawr. Later he became Profes- 
sor of English at Columbia, and from 1906 until 1917 
he was full Professor of English Literature at Har- 
vard University. In the latter year he was called to 
Smith College as President. He is the author of "Es- 
sentials of Poetry," "Facts About Shakespeare," 
"Burns: How To Know Him," and the editor of many 
volumes. He was associate editor with President 
Eliot of the famous "Harvard Classics." That the 
selection of President Neilson to dedicate the Detroit 
Burns Statue was not only peculiarly fitting but also 
popular, was evidenced by the splendid address which 
he delivered and by the warmth of his reception. 




Badge Worn on Burns Day 
19 



"BURNS DAY" IN DETROIT 

About the middle of June the statue arrived from 
England and was successfully placed on the pedestal, 
and Saturday, July 23rd, was selected by the com- 
mittee as the date for the unveiling. Souvenir badges 
were obtained for the members of the Jean Armour 
Club and of the Burns Club. They were unique and 
attractive, consisting of a ribbon of Royal Stewart 
tartan from which was suspended a medallion of the 
poet having thereon the date of the unveiling of the 
statue. 

Detroit never awoke to a more perfect July day 
than that on which the figure of Robert Burns was 
unveiled before an admiring multitude of its citizens. 

Colonel Walter Scott and President W. A. Neilson 
arrived in the city early and were the guests of Mr. 
William Livingstone at the Detroit Athletic Club. 
After breakfast, Mr. Livingstone took his guests, 
along with Mr. Edward Goodwillie, president of the 
Burns Club, for a drive around beautiful Belle Isle 
and Grosse Pointe, returning in time for a luncheon 
which Mr. Livingstone had arranged in honor of the 
speakers and a few friends, at the Athletic Club. At 
the luncheon Mr. Livingstone's guests were as fol- 
lows: President W. A. Neilson, Colonel Walter Scott, 
Mr. Edward Goodwillie, Professor R. M. Wenley, of 
the University of Michigan; Rev. Dr. Hugh Jack, 
Dr. J. B. Kennedy, Mr. John Cameron, chairman of 
arrangements committee; Mr. W. J. Stewart, Royal 
Deputy for Michigan, 0. S. C; Judge John F. Mc- 
Kinlay, Mr. James B. McKay and Mr. John C. Stuart, 
representing Windsor, (Ont.) Scots. 

After luncheon the party proceeded to the Wayne 
County Building to take part in the parade of Scottish 
societies and various fraternal bodies to Cass Park. 



20 



I 



The Parade 

The scene in Cadillac Square and around the 
County Building, while the parade was being mar- 
shalled, was one of great activity, but Mr. John 
Cameron and his energetic committee had the parade 
in readiness to start shortly after 2:30 P. M , the 
scheduled time. 

The parade was headed by a platoon of Detroit 
mounted police, followed by the United Pipe Bands 
of Detroit, Windsor and Walkerville, under Pipe- 
major Bruce Cameron. Then followed an automobile 
in which rode Colonel Walter Scott, President Neil- 
son, Mr. William Livingstone and Mr. Edward Grood- 
willie. As a compliment to Colonel Scott, who 
is in command of the New York Scottish Highland- 
ers, the St. Andrew's Highlanders, of Detroit, resplen- 
dent in their full uniforms, acted as a guard of honor 
marching on either side of the automobile. Then 
followed in the order named: The Detroit Burns 
Club with delegations from the Burns Ciubs of Wind- 
sor (Ont.), Pontiac (Mich.), and Canton, Cleveland 
and Akron (Ohio); the St. Andrew's Societies of De- 
troit, Windsor and Saginaw; Clan Campbell, of De- 
troit, with large delegations from the Clans in Flint 
and Jackson, headed by the Clan Campbell Pipe 
Band; the Sons of Scotland, of Windsor and Walker- 
ville (Ont.); six uniformed Cantons of Detroit 
Patriarchs Militant (Odd Fellows), with their brass 
band; and a gorgeously uniformed contingent of men 
and women from the Detroit Lodge of the Loyal 
Order of Moose. The presence of these fraternal 
bodies in the parade testified to the truth of the Poet's 
great prophecy. 

"It's comin' yet, for a' that. 
That man to man, the world o'er. 
Shall brothers be, for a' that." 
The line of march to Cass Park was via Cadillac 



21 



Square, Woodward avenue and Temple avenue, 
through the busiest section of the city. Crowds 
thronged the sidewalks all along the route, the par- 
aders receiving round after round of applause, whilst 
motion picture men were busy at various points of 
vantage, for the picturesqueness of the parade ap- 
pealed strongly to them. 

At Cass Park 

When the parade arrived at Cass Park the scene 
was one which will be long remembered by those 
present. Nearly fifteen thousand people crowded 
around the speakers' platform which had been erect- 
ed alongside of the statue. It was an occasion on 
which everyone who had a share in the good work 
had a right to be congratulated. Nature smiled ap- 
provingly upon the scene, and the park, with its beau- 
tiful trees, never appeared to better advantage. And 
in the huge crowd of expectant and attentive on- 
lookers were thousands with not a drop of Scottish 
blood in their veins. It was indeed "Burns Day," and 
the lovers of the Immortal Bard had come to pay 
homage to his genius and to proffer a tribute of ap- 
preciative admiration for his undying works in this 
great city of the Middle West. 

The following occupied seats on the platform dur- 
ing the unveiling exercises: Mr. William Living- 
stone (who presided); Colonel Walter Scott, Presi- 
dent W. A. Neilson, His Honor, Mayor James Couzens, 
Mr. Edward Goodwillie, president of the Burns Club, 
and Mrs. Goodwillie, Rev. Dr. Hugh Jack, Mrs. Spence, 
Grand Chief of the Daughters of Scotia; Dr. J. B. 
Kennedy, General W. S. Green, Mr. H. J. M. Grylls, 
Mr. James B. McKay, Mr. John C. Stuart, of Windsor; 
Major General T. Calvert Crowe, of the Patriarchs 
Militant; Mr. John Smith, Vice-President of the 
Burns Club; Mr. John Cameron, chairman of com- 
mittee; Mr. W. J. Stewart, Royal Deputy. 0. S. C; 



22 



Dr. William Fowler, president of St. Andrews Society; 
Mr. Geo. P. Kirby, representing the Burns Club of 
Atlanta, Georgia; and the following past presidents 
of the Burns Club: Messrs. William Ross, John An- 
drew, C. R. Low, W. A. V. Edward and A. M. Mac- 
Gregor. 

The proceadings were opened by the singing of the 
first verse of the Hundredth Psalm by the entire as- 
semblage, led by ths Scottish Choral Union under the 
directorship of Mr. J. Cameron McLean, and accom- 
panied by the Odd Fellows' band. 

Rev. Dr. Hugh Jack then gave the following Invo- 
cation: 

"God of our Fathers, we lift our hearts unto Thee 
this day. We thank Thee for all Thy love and care 
towards us. We recognize gratefully Thy providen- 
tial guidance in the training and discipline of our 
forefathers. They suffered much in the cause of re- 
ligion and liberty, and by Thy grace they won a 
glorious victory, and were thereby enabled to hand 
down to us the blessings of liberty. We thank Thee 
also that we have reached the goal of our efforts in 
erecting this statue to the memory of Robert Burns. 
Thou didst fill his heart full of the love of his fel- 
low men, and for all his gifts we thank Thee. Help 
us all to be gentler, truer and better men and women 
because of the precious memories of this day. And 
may we, each in his place, take thought betimes of 
our heritage of blood and tradition, and looking unto 
Thee for help, strive to be worthy of our birth right. 
And unto Thy Name be all the glory, through Jesus 
Christ our Divine Redeemer. Amen." 

Mr. William Livingstone, in his opening remarks 
as chairman, characterized Robert Burns as the 
* Poet of Humanity." He referred to the universal 
appeal of Burns' poems as typifying the highest emo- 
tions which the human soul had yet experienced. 
Continuing, he said: ''One hundred and twenty-five 

23 




THE BURNS STATUE, CASS PARK, DETROIT 
Unveiled July 23rd, 1921 



years have elapsed since the death of Robert Burns, 
but in that time the man who believed 'A man's a 
man for a' that' had become more deeply intrenched 
in the hearts of the people of all nations. If all those 
who say his name with reverence were brought to- 
gether, no king on earth would have such a realm." 

Unveiling the Statue 

The Choral Union then sang "There AVas a Lad 
Was Born in Kyle," and at the close of this rollick- 
ing air, Mr, Livingstone introduced Colonel Walter 
Scott who pulled the cord which drew aside the 
silken American flag which had covered the statue. 
When the beautiful statue stood revealed, the im- 
mense concourse sent up a mighty cheer while the 
pipers added to the acclamation. When the cheer- 
ing ceased, Colonel Scott said: 

"Mt. Chairman and You, the Admirers and Friends 
of the World's Poet: 

Stan-ding here as I do in the shadow of this mag- 
nificent statue of Robert Burns, I am indeed honored 
to read to you messages of good cheer from home and 
abroad. One is from the Vice-President of the United 
States — ^a sincere admirer of the Poet. Another is 
from one of the oldest Burns Clubs in the world — 
the Dumfries Burns Club, which lately celebrated its 
centenary; and still another comes from one who 
is very close to us today — Miss Jean Armour Burns 
Brown, the nearest living descendant of the poet. In 
addition to these, many have been received from sis- 
ter societies throughout the country." 

Colonel Scott then read the following messages: 

"The Vice-President's Chamber, 
Washington. 

July 21st, 1921. 
My Dear Colonel Scott: 

It would be a great pleasure to attend the 

25 





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CALVIN COOLIDGE 
Vice-President of the United States 



unveiling of another statue of Robert Burns. 
There is no other poet who so has the power 
to hold the imagination of the people. He was 
born one of them, spoke their language and 
thought their thoughts. There is something 
deep and good in everything he describes. His 
writings lay before us the image of the great 
strength of character of the Scottish people. 
He loved her soil, broken with stream and 
made beautiful with flowers. He loved her 
homes which were the abode of every honest 
purpose. All of these sentiments he has woven 
into poetry which touches the soul of every 
reader. There is no more powerful argument 
showing that the heart of the people is sound 
than the frequent demonstration of that sen- 
timent which raises a monument to Robert 
Burns, and withholds the hand from the multi- 
tudinous activities of life long enough to spend 
a few hours in the contemplation of his great- 
ness, in the wonderful music of his songs and 
of his powerful representation of the funda- 
mental marks of true character. 
Very truly yours, 
(Signed) Calvin Coolidge." 

From Mr. John McBurnie, Secretary, Dumfries 
Burns Club, Dumfries, Scotland: 

"Dumfries Burns Club sends fraternal greet- 
ing, and heartily congratulates Detroit on com- 
pletion of another star to illuminate firmament 
of Bard of Scotland and of mankind." 

From Miss Jean Armour Burns Brown, great- 
grand-daughter of Robert Burns, Dumfries, Scotland: 
"Congratulations to Detroit Burns Club and 
Jean Armour Club on the unveiling of another 
statue of the one who wrote 'A Man's a Man 
For a' That.' " 



27 



(Other messages are given under the report of 
the dinner.) 

When the statue was unveiled, beautiful wreaths 
were placed upon it from Colonel Scott, the Burns 
Club, St. Andrew's Society, and Clan Campbell No. 
206. 

DEDICATORY ADDRESS 

By William Allan Neilson. 
President of Smith College. 
"Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

A hundred and sixty years ago, the spot where we 
now stand lay in the midst of a wilderness through 
which roamed bands of savages. No European had 
ever seen it, save an occasional wandering French- 
man. At that date there was born in a small cottage 
in the southwest of Scotland a boy who never trav- 
eled as far as two hundred miles from his birthplace, 
and who died in middle life a petty officer in the ex- 
cise. Today, in tlie heart of a great cosmopolitan 
city, standing where once was that wilderness, a 
group of that obscure Scot's countrymen have met 
to dedicate a monument raised in his likeness. What 
is the meaning of this extraordinary event? Why, 
after so long a stretch of time, four thousand miles 
away, should we be standing beside this statue, cast 
in immortal bronze, in honor of that peasant? To 
attempt an answer to this question is, as I conceive 
it, my task this afternoon. 

The emotions which find vent in such self expres- 
sion as culminates in this act of ours today are the 
emotions of gratitude and admiration. Only achieve- 
ments which stir us to acclaim their author as dis- 
playing extraordinary and admirable powers, only 
services which we feel to have done something to 
ennoble and enrich life, can account for a manifesta- 



28 



tion such as this. So we are led to recount once 
more the achievements and services accomplished by 
Robert Burns for Scotland and for humanity. 

The performances which first made Burns known 
beyond his immediate family and social circle, which 
made him a figure to be talked about and pointed 
out on his countryside, were in the field of satire. 
This satire dealt mainly with moral and religious 
conditions, and to get its point we must remind our- 
selves of some of these conditions. The Scotland 
into which Burns was born was a country still cow- 
ering under the blessings of the Protestant Reforma- 
tion. The Scottish church of the Middle Ages needed 
reformation badly, and when it came, it came with a 
vengeance. From no country was Romanism expelled 
with more vehemence, and the pendulum swung far 
to the opposite extreme. To the tyranny of the 
priest succeeded the tyranny of the Presbyterian min- 
ister, and no corner of life was free from his domina- 
tion. Not only worship and belief, but social custom 
and private conduct fell, to a degree hardly conceiv- 
able today, under the direction of the clergy. Such 
power as they possessed is never good for human 
nature, and it resulted in intolerable oppression to 
the community and often in stagnant dogmatism and 
private hypocrisy in the ministry. During the eight- 
eenth century, however, Scotland was visited by an 
intellectual awakening which gradually produced a 
movement of resistance to the pressure of the Kirk. 
A group, known as the New Lichts, began to protest 
against the emphasis on orthodox belief as opposed to 
decent behavior, and their daring roused the Auld 
Lichts to fury. Burns grew up to manhood with an 
intelligent grasp of theology, and his lively tempera- 
ment soon decided on which side he should fight. 
Private lapses of his own brought him under church 
discipline and naturally did not create any great 
friendliness towards the instruments of his punish- 



29 



ment. Less warranted intrusions in the case of 
friends roused his indignation against narrow 
fanatics whose own way of life did not in his opinion 
justify their assumption of the role of mouthpieces 
of the Divine displeasure. Under these motives he 
burst into a series of satires and invectives that were 
read with secret glee by many who had not in them- 
selves the courage to resist. He discovered that he 
possessed not only fluency of rhyming and a happy 
gift of caricature, but a command of stinging phrase 
and epithet which maddened his victims. There is 
little question but that Burns' satires and epistles 
were a potent force in exposing the humbug of the 
Holy Willies, and in furthering the movement for 
greater freedom of thought and a more sincere and 
lofty rule of conduct in the Scotland of his day. 

In all this Burns was not fighting religion. Through 
all the vicissitudes of his career he remained a be- 
liever in genuine religion, and his work in breaking 
down the bigotry and intolerance of the Auld Lichts 
was. a service to true religion. 

His satires, however, were not confined to per- 
sonalities and local scandals. At times he rose above 
these to attack the perennial weaknesses of general 
human nature, and in verses like those to The Unco 
Guid or The Rigidly Righteous he gave utterance to 
protests which were valid everywhere and always. 
The poem, which may be taken as typical of his uni- 
versal as distinct from his local satire, is on the 
face of it, an appeal to those who are above tempta- 
tion to be merciful to their weaker brothers and sis- 
ters. But its point does not lie merely in the call 
to humility and charity. 

'Then at the balance let's be mute 
We never can adjust it. 
What's done we partly may compute 
But know not what's resisted,' 



30 




WILLIAM ALLAN NEILSON, Ph. D., LI. D. 
President of Smith College, Northampton, Mass. 



finely put though it is, but in the archness and sly 
humor which insinuates that 

'Ye wha are sae guid yersel, 

Sae righteous and sae holy, 

Wha've naught to do but mark and tell 

Your neibor's fauts and folly,' 

are after all, if the inner truth were known, not so 
innocent and flawless. Here, as elsewhere in the 
best of Burns' satire, what keeps it from degenerating 
on one side into mere scolding and on the other Into 
mere preaching, is the sense of comedy, the honest 
laughter which is the best antidote for the foolish 
pretensions of mankind. 

In the course of his satire, Burns incidentally gives 
many vivid glimpses of the life of the country and 
small towns in which he spent his youth. These 
glimpses are enlarged into detailed pictures in the 
series of poems descriptive and narrative, which 
have made the life of the Ayrshire peasantry in the 
eighteenth century familiar to thousands of readers 
over all the world. In 'The Cotter's Saturday Night' 
we are brought into the intimacies of the family life 
which accounted for much that was most fundamental 
in Burns' own character; and, more than that, we 
are given an insight into the springs of thought and 
feeling which account for important elements in the 
Scottish character in general, the elements which 
have led men, wherever Scotsmen have settled, to 
reckon on them as solid and stable factors in the 
community. 

But Burns does not paint the life he knew as made 
up solely of piety and patriotism. 'The Holy Fair,' 
with its mixture of evangelical fervour and debauch- 
ery, elaborates the view given in the ecclesiastical 
satires of the seamy side of Scottish religion, and 
its candor gives us assurance that we are being 
shown the life of the time througli no rose colored 



32 



glasses. 'Hallowe'en' shows us the peasantry at play, 
and preserves a score of folk games and folk beliefs, 
now, alas, only too faintly surviving. In 'Tarn 
O'Shanter,' a legend of the countryside is retold with 
rollicking humor, and incidentally shows us the 
genial inside of the public house as well as the un- 
genial domestic hearth. Finally, in 'The Jolly Beg- 
gars' Burns reached the triumphant height of his 
powers in artistic portraiture. He chose as scene the 
lowest hovel he had ever visited, as time a Saturday 
night, as characters the dregs of society — a gang 
of tramps and dead-beats destitute of manners, morals, 
and reputation. He displays them in the depths of 
their degradation, wallowing in sensuality; and he 
makes no attempt to palliate or excuse. Yet in human 
nature reduced to such terms and displaying itself 
in such conditions he finds so abounding a vitality, 
Buch a capacity for asserting the joy of living, that 
the result is superb, exhilarating, triumphant. 

I select only a few titles, but these are enough 
to remind us that in this field also we have ground 
for gratitude and admiration, gratitude that the old 
^Scottish scene is in these narrative and descriptive 
poems fixed and perpetuated, admiration for the 
fidelity, sympathy, and unsurpassable vivacity of the 
record. 

Yet, pungent as are the satires, graphic and life- 
like as are the descriptions, had Burns produced only 
these, I doubt if we should have been celebrating his 
genius at this time and place. His supreme claim 
to our gratitude and admiration lies not in these, 
but in what he did for Scottish song. 

It is a common impression that Burns' songs are 
chiefly the outcome of the succession of love affairs, 
which, according to popular legend make up his biog- 
raphy. Now we have Burns' word for it that — 
'The sweetest hours that e'er he spent 
Were spent among the lasses, 0!' 



33 



and a number of his most exquisite lyrics undoubted- 
ly give utterance to emotions roused by real women. 
Songs like Mary Morison, My Nanie's Awa' and others 
addressed to Mrs. McLehose, the whole series relating 
to Highland Mary, and those dedicated to Jean 
Armour can be relate-d to known individuals and 
often to special occasions. But it is a mistake to 
suppose that every time Burns wrote a song in terms 
of gallantry to a woman, either he or she thought 
he was in love, or that we are on the trail of another 
amour. The forms of politeness vary from age to 
age, and in Burns' day the language of polite com- 
pliment in verse was often such as, in our more 
literal days, would be regarded as giving ground for 
a breach of promise suit. Take an instance. One 
day when making an afternoon visit Burns met an 
attractive girl who was leaving next day for Eng- 
land. He admired her and wished to tell hsr so. 
He was not in love with her, and neither she nor 
anyone else at that time supposed he was. But his 
hom?.ge took the form of these verses: 

'0, saw ye bonie Lesley, 

As she gaed o'er the Border? 
She's gane, like Alexander, 

To spread her conquests farther! 

To see her is to love her, 

And love but her for ever; 
For Nature made her what she is. 

And never made anithsr! 

Thou art a queen, fair Lesley — 

Thy subjects, we before thee! 
Thou art divine, fair Lesley — 

The hearts o' men adore thee. 

The Deil he could na skaith thee. 

Or aught that wad belang thee; 
He'd look into thy bonie face. 

And say — 'I canna wrang thee!' 

34 



The Powers abcon will tent thee, 

Misfortune sha'na steer thee: 
Thou'rt like themsel' sae lovely, 

That ill they'll ne'er let near thee. 

Return again, fair Lesley, 

Return to Caledonie! 
That we may brag we hae a lass 

There's nane again sae bonie.' 

No wonder a man who could turn off compliments 
like that was popular with ladies! But we make our- 
selves ridiculous if we treat such charming and 
casual effusions either as the utterance of passion or 
the ground for scandal. 

The great majority of Burns' songs, however, have 
no relation to particular persons or occasions at all, 
but are the result of a set of curious circumstances. 
A knowledge of these circumstances is necessary to 
understand not only the origin of these songs but 
the nature an-d extent of Burns' service to his country. 

I spoke a few minutes ago of the severity of the 
Puritanism which descended on Scotland with The 
Reformation. It is doubtful whether any of the Re- 
formed countries suffered from so extreme a repres- 
sion of all sides of life save the moral and religious. 
All forms of art underwent an eclipse, for beauty was 
feared and joy suspected. There had existed a large 
body of popular song set to folk melodies of great 
beauty. But the new type of godliness saw only 
danger in music and song, and the only vent for 
lyrical emotion permitted was the psalm tune. Human 
nature, however, is not so easily made over; and 
there remained times when the old songs cropped 
out again in spite of the minister. Such occasions 
were Kirns or harvest homes, fairs, and the great 
domestic festivities — christenings, weddings, and 
funerals. All of these were apt to call for a consider- 



35 




BURNS CLUB OFFICERS 



J. ANDREW, Past President W. A. V. EDWARD, Past President 

JOHN SMITH, Vice President 
A. M. MacGREGOR, Past President WILLIAM ROSS, Past President 



able amount of whisky; and with the courage which 
this supplied, after the minister went home, the wee 
sinful fiddle might be brought out, and the old songs 
and dances indulged in once more. Inevitable as 
some such outlet may have been, the conditions were 
not favorable for preserving either the literary qual- 
ity or the decency of the folksongs. When after 
nearly two hundred years of this clandestine exist- 
ence these popular songs reached the ears of Burns, 
they had become as poetry a pretty sorry lot. But 
the music could not be defiled and therein lay the 
possibility of a new birth of Scottish song. 

When Burns was in Edinburgh enjoying his short 
blaze of social recognition, he met a certain James 
Johnson, an almost illiterate engraver of music, who 
had formed a plan for publishing a large collection 
of Scottish songs with music. The music he was able 
to gather, but, when it came to the words, he found 
to his dismay that, after the treatment I have de- 
scribed, the popular songs of Scotland were quite 
impossible for volumes that were meant to adorn 
drawing-room tables. In his dilemma he appealed 
to Burns and asked him to make over or rewrite the 
disreputable lyrics, that his patrons might have re- 
spectable words to sing to his music. Later, a 
similar request came from a George Thomson who 
had on hand a similar undertaking, and Burns came 
to the aid of both men with a will. He had always 
been fond of the native melodies, and though no 
great musician, could whistle a tune or pick it out on 
the fiddle with suflftcient accuracy. Of the old words 
he had a wide knowledge. He had collected broad- 
sides and chapbooks, and he knew by heart many a 
song picked up in the tavern or the lodge. Johnson 
and Thomson sent him their tunes and what words 
they could gather, and he sent them back altogeLher 
about 250 made-over songs. 

The extent of the making over varied from song 



37 



to song. Sometimes only the theme could be pre- 
served, sometimes the chorus, sometimes a line here 
and there, again a group of stanzas. Whatever was 
worth retaining he retained; what had to be filled in 
he invented. But the miraculous thing was that the 
result in each case was not a patchwork of silk on 
flannel, of apparent literary artifice on naive popular 
tradition, but integral poems, each in its own mood 
and its own individual manner. In the vast ma- 
jority of poems it is impossible to tell from internal 
evidence where the old verses end and Burns begins. 
I will restrict myself to one or two illustrations: 

ORIGI.X OF il'PIIEKSO.X'S FAREWELL. 

'I spent my time in rioting. 
Debauched my health and strength; 
I pillaged, plundered, murdered, 
But now, alas! at length 
I'm brought to punishment condign. 
Pale death draws near to me; 
The end I ever did project. 
To hang upon a tree. 

Then wantonly and rantingly 
I am resolved to die; 
And with undaunted courage I 
Shall mount this fatal tree.' 

M'PHERSOX'S FAREWELL. 

'Farewell, ye dungeons dark and strong. 

The wretch's destinie! 
McPherson's time will not be long 

On yonder gallows-tree. 

0, what is death but parting breath? 

On many a bloody plain 
I've dar'd his face, and in this place 

I scorn him yet again! 



38 



Untie these bands from off my hands, 

And bring to me my sword, 
And there's no a man in all Scotland 

But I'll brave him at a word. 

I've liv'd a life of sturt and strife; 

I die by treacherie: 
It burns my heart I must depart, 

And not avenged be. 

Now farewell light, thou sunshine bright, 

And all beneath the sky! 
May coward shame disdain his name, 

The wretch that dare not die! 

Sae rantingly, sae wantonly, 

Sae dauntingly, gaed he, 
He play'd a spring, and danc'd it round 

Below the gallows-tree.' 

Only the refrain borrows anything but the situa- 
tion from the old verses. 

In the following only the first four lines are old, 
the rest is Burns': 

'Go, fetch to me a pint o' wine 

And fill it in a silver tassie, 
That I may drink before I go 

A service to my bonie lassie! 

The boat rocks at the pier o' Leith, 

Fu' loud the wind blaws frae the Ferry, 

The ship rides by the Berwick-Law, 
And I maun leave my bonie Mary. 

The trumpets sound, the banners fly, 

The glittering spears are ranked ready, 

The shouts o' war are heard afar, 
The battle closed deep and bloody. 



39 



It's not the roar o' sea or shore 
Wad make me langer wish to tarry. 

Nor shouts o' war that's heard afar; 
It's leaving thee, my bonie Mary!' 

It is difficult to emphasize the extraordinary nature 
of this accomplishment. It is almost without a 
parallel in the history of literature, and, so far as I 
am aware, no attempt of the kind has ever been 
carried out with a tithe of the success. The task 
required a perfect feeling for the old poetry, for the 
manner of folk-song, a sensitive ear for the music, 
and an almost incredible literary tact. The poet had 
to be simple without seeming to try to be simple, had 
to be clever yet show no sign of cleverness and had 
to suppress all evidence of conscious literary skill. 
Yet it was artistry of the most difficult and delicate 
sort. 

The work occupied Burns' leisure for the last quar- 
ter of his life, and it was done In the spirit of pa- 
triotic service. Though the undertakings of both 
Thomson and Johnson were commercial. Burns 
though then as always in hard straits for money, 
refused any financial compensation, and took his re- 
ward in doing it 'for puir auld Scotland's sake.' 

But a greater reward than he dreamed of has been 
his. The magnitude of his service he could hardly 
have had any idea of. To a country impoverished 
artistically he restored the most widespread and 
universally enjoyed form of art, and gave Scotland 
such a body of popular song, melodious, joyous, and 
pure, as hardly any other people possesses. 

Such is the great, the unique, ground for our grati- 
tude and admiration. Scotland has had other sing- 
ers, but were all Scottish song lost save that of Burns, 
Scotsmen would still find in his poems utterances 
melodious and satisfying for the whole range of feel- 
ings which demand a lyrical outlet. The love of a 



40 



lad for a lass, of a lass for a lad, of the old married 
couple, of molher and child, the joy of good fellow- 
ship, ihs exaltation of alcohol, the sentiment of loy- 
ally to country, to the chosen leader, to old comrades, 
the appreciation of nature, the inconsolable grief for 
tne lost, atlection for bird and beast and flower, the 
sense of the brotherhood of humanity and of the 
fatherhood of God, — such are the themes of the songs 
of Robert Burns. 

Many of these, it will be noted, are not local or 
national but universally human; and that is why 
Burns is not merely the proud possession of Scots- 
men, but one of the poets of the world. In spite of 
a dialect possessing great difficulties as well as great 
charm, he is read and loved among all literate peo- 
ples, and his appeal knows no limit of rank and class. 
It is thus no impertinence that leads this body of 
exiled Scots to seek to erect in this alien city a 
memorial to the man who is at once the great glory 
of their people and a divine gift to all the world. We 
dedicate this statue to the memory of Robert Burns, 
in the faith that his memory will live always in the 
hearts of Scots and Americans alike, remembering 
that of all writers he is the poet of the perennial hope 

'That man to man the world o'er 
Shall brothers be for a' that.' " 

At the conclusion of President Neilson's brilliant 
address, which was enthusiastically received, the 
Choral Union sang the beautiful song, "Land of Hope 
and Glory." 

Presentation of Statue To the City 

President Edward Goodwillie, of the Detroit Burns 
Club, on being introduced by Mr. Livingstone, as the 
man to whom they were mainly indebted for the 
beautiful Burns Statue, received an ovation. In pre- 
senting the statue to the city, Mr. Goodwillie said: 

"Mr. Chairman, Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



41 



This is one of the proudest moments of my life 
and I thank you for your very kind reception. I 
have often been asked w^hy there are so many Burns 
Statues In the world, and I think that the best an- 
swer to that question is this: When an Englishman 
leaves his dear old England and plants himself in 
a foreign land, the first thing he does is to sit down 
and write to the 'Times'; a Scotsman forms a Burns 
Club and proceeds to collect funds for a Burns Statue. 

Detroit has today welded another link in the chain 
of Burns statues that encircles the great English- 
speaking cities of the world. Detroit has today, so 
to speak, presented the Freedom of the city to the 
spirit of Robert Burns; nor will she ever regret it. 
In days gone by, the freedom of the city of Detroit 
has been granted to many distinguished men, and to 
seme perhaps not so distinguished, but I venture to 
say that not one of them holds such a place in the 
hearts of the people as does this Sweet Singer of 
Scotland, this Lover of Liberty, this Man of Inde- 
pendent Mind, Robert Burns. 

We offer no apology for erecting this statue in the 
beautiful city of Detroit. If reason were needed for 
its erection, I would point to the verse which we 
have inscribed on the front of the pedestal: 

'The highest meed of praise belongs 
To him who makes a people's songs. 
Who strikes one note — the common good, 
One chord — a wider brotherhood.' 

It is my great privilege this afternoon, as presi- 
dent of the Detroit Burns Club, to present this 
statue to the city. And therefore, Mr. Mayor, on 
behalf of the Detroit Burns Club and of over one 
thousand subscribers, I have great pleasure in form- 
ally presenting to you, as the representative of the 
great city of Detroit, this beautiful statue of Robert 

42 



Burns. We have every reason to believe that you 
and your successors in office will see to it that the 
statue is carefully preserved." 

The Mayor Accepts Statue 

His Honor Mayor Couzens then accepted the 
statue for the city of Detroit in the following speech: 

"Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

It is a great privilege for me to he at the head of 
our city today, because I have the opportunity to 
accept for its citizens the beautiful Burns statue. 

Just project yourselves back one hundred and 
sixty-two years and endeavor to visualize a babe in 
arms, in a cabin made of clay with only two rooms, 
and then visualize today, in a foreign city four 
thousand miles away, a monument erected in his 
memory. 

Think, that during his short thirty-seven years on 
earth he did things which are responsible for this 
celebration today. He did not accumulate much, if 
any, of this world's goods — which is a further evi- 
dence how unnecessary it is to do that to remain 
in the hearts of the common people. 

This is really an epoch in Detroit's history, be- 
cause it reminds us all, and this statue of bronze 
and granite will be a continual reminder, of what 
one man was able to do to bring the hearts of the 
people closer together. It exemplifies that no mat- 
ter how long a time may elapse, those who are able 
to bring the hearts of the common people closer 
together will always be remembered. 

Therefore in these few words of expression of 
keen appreciation to those who assumed the re- 
sponsibility of erecting the statue, I wish to accept 
it for all of the people of Detroit." 

The proceedings were then brought to a close by 
the entire assemblage singing "Auld Lrang Syne" and 
"The Star-Spangled Banner." 



43 




HIS HONOR MAYOR COUZENS, of DETROIT 



On all sides nothing but praise could be heard for 
the beautiful statue and its finely proportioned 
pedestal. The monument is at once a worthy mem- 
orial to the great Bard and a welcome addition to 
Detroit's municipal statuary. Nothing but praise, 
too, could be heard for the splendid arrangements 
which had been made for the parade and unveiling 
exercises. Everything passed off as planned with- 
out the slightest hitch occurring, and Mr. John 
Cameron and his committee deserve much credit for 
the smooth and expeditious manner in which the 
arrangements were carried out. 



45 



THE DINNER 

Over one hundred and fifty admirers of Burns were 
present at the dinner in honor of the unveiling, 
which took place in the roof-garden of the Hotel 
Tuller in the evening. The following were seated at 
the speakers' table: Dr. and Mrs. J. B. Kennedy; Mr. 
and Mrs. Edward Goodwillie; Mr. George P. Kirby 
and Miss Brown of Toledo; Mrs. Spence; Colonel 
Walter Scott; President W. A. Neilson; Mr. William 
Livingstone; Professor R. M. Wenley; Rev. Dr. 
Hugh Jack; Judge John F. McKinlay; and Dr. 
Robert Hislop. Grace was said by Rev. Dr. Jack. 

The menu was as follows: 



Fruit Cocktail 

Celery Olives Radishes 

Cream of Tomato Soup 

WMtefish 

Broiled Chicken 

New Potatoes Asparagus Tips 

Tuller Salad 

Special Ice Cream 

Coffee Cigars 



After dinner a program of speeches and songs 
was carried through. 



46 



Address of Welcome and Thanks 

In welcoming the guests and introducing Dr. 
Kennedy as toastmaster of the evening. President 
Goodwillie of the Burns Club spoke as follows: 

"Ladies and Gentlemen: 

An occasion such as the present makes us realize 
the truth of Burns' well-known line 'Nae man can 
tether time nor tide,' for the hour is fast approach- 
ing when we will have to depart for our homes and 
'remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.' Prev- 
ious experience of my good friend Dr. Kennedy 
leads me to believe that when he begins to wield the 
gavel I will not have a chance to say a word. There- 
fore before coming to the pleasant task which has 
been allotted to me tonight, I want to say a few 
words of thanks. 

In the first place, personally and on behalf of the 
Burns Club, I desire to thank the ladies of the Jean 
Armour Club for their noble assistance during the 
past eight years. No one knows as I do the amount 
of splendid work which these ladies accomplished, 
and I take this opportunity of offering them our 
sincere thanks. It was highly proper that the 
ladies should have had a part in our undertaking, 
for we know that Burns dearly loved the lassies. 

'Eve's bonny squad, priests wyte them sheerly 

For our grand fa'; 
But still, but still, I like them dearly — 

Gcd bless them a'.' 

And therefore I say tonight 'God bless the ladies of 
the Jean Armour Club.' (On the suggestion of Mr. 
Goodwillie a rising vote of thanks was given to the 
Jean Armour Club.) 

On behalf of the Burns Club I also desire to thank 
Mr. William Livingstone who so ably presided at our 
unveiling exercises this afternoon, and through him 



47 



the Dime Savings Bank, for the splendid way in 
which they handled the Burns Statue Fund. Very 
considerable sums of money were handled, and near- 
ly thirteen hundred certificates were issued, and it 
affords me pleasure to say that on no occasion was 
there a difference of even one cent between the 
records of the Dime Savings Bank and the books of 
the Burns Statue Committee. 

The thanks of the Club are also due to the Hotel 
TuUer, and its able manager, our fellow member, 
Mr. Adam McKendrick. For nine years the 'Tuller' 
has been the home of the Club, and during that 
time Mr. McKendrick has done everything in his 
power to make our meetings as pleasant as possible. 

I also desire to thank personally the handful of 
members of the Detroit Burns Club who stood by me 
through fair weather and foul in order to bring our 
efforts to a successful conclusion, and who are to- 
night reaping, with myself, the fruits of their labor. 
The Burns Club has now accomplished the object for 
which it was called into existence. It is now up to 
the members themselves to say whether the Club 
is to 'carry on.' Personally I feel that my labors for 
the Club are about at an end. 

I now come to my assignment on the program of 
the evening namely the Welcome to the Guests and 
the introduction of the Toastmaster. I bid you all 
a thousand welcomes here tonight and thank you 
for your enthusiasm in the cause. We have with us 
this evening at this table a few very distinguished 
guests. Foremost amongst these is one whom I am 
very proud to be able to call friend, I mean Colonel 
Walter Scott of New York, whose love for the Im- 
mortal Bard brought him all the way to Detroit to 
unveil our statue and help us to celebrate. No one 
will ever know how much I am indebted to Walter 
Scott for his advice and encouragement. Not only 
was he our largest subscriber, but he was probably 



48 



our main inspiration, ever ready with his wise coun- 
sel. Mr. Scott's benevolences are known throughout 
the land, and while he is particularly well known to 
Scottish sodeties, he is a simon-pure American who 
does not believe in the hyphen, whether it be a 
German hyphen or a Scottish hyphen. I am not 
going to trust myself to say too much about Colonel 
Scott, but I will say this much, that he is one of 
Nature's noblemen and a Man in every "sense of the 
word. 

We have also with us tonight two distinguished 
educators of international renown. President Neilson 
and Professor Wenley. President Neilson very kind- 
ly came on from Maine, where he was spending a 
well-earned vacation, to give the grand dedicatory 
address which we listened to with so much pleasure 
this afternoon. While he is a distinguished alumnus 
of Edinburgh University, his friend Professor Wenley 
is a distinguished alumnus of Glasgow. They are 
both men of whom any nation might well be proud, 
but we of Scottish blood particularly so. 

I am asked to introduce to you Dr. J. B. Kennedy 
as Toastmaster. Dr. Kennedy needs no introduction 
to an audience of Detroit lovers of Burns. The only 
criticism which I have heard of Dr. Kennedy is that 
he is an Irishman. If that is the case, tnen would 
to God that there were more Irishmen, and more 
Scotchmen, like him. We are proud of Dr. Kennedy 
— proud of the high position which he has reached 
as a surgeon, and proud of him as a man amongst 
men. I have great pleasure in calling upon Dr. J. B. 
Kennedy as the Toastmaster of the evening." 

The Toastmaster 

Dr. Kennedy, who is a great lover of the Scottish 
Bard and who has for several years presided at the 
Burns anniversary dinners of the Club, said that he 



4Q 




DR. J. B. KENNEDY 
Toastmaster 



had greatly enjoyed the exercises of the afternoon 
and that it gave him great pleasure to be there that 
evening. Continuing, Dr. Kennedy said: 

"It is true, as Mr. Goodwillie has said, that I am of 
Irish descent, but let me tell you, I am a Canadian 
by birth and an American by adoption. I make no 
apology, however, for my Irish ancestry. Indeed I 
am proud of it. I deem it a great honor and a 
privilege to be invited to preside at a Burns dinner. 
Every Scotchman is justly proud of the fact that 
the great poet was born in Scotland, but I must re- 
mind you that the philosophy and poetry of Robert 
Burns belong to the world; and any man — it matters 
not what his nationality may be — who does honor to 



50 



his immortal memory, honors himself in doing so. 

Before I introduce the speakers of the evening, 
may I be permitted to draw your attention to the 
reports of an address delivered last night in this 
city by Bishop Gallagher before a convention of 
Hibernians and published in the front pages of to- 
day's papers? Bishop Gallagher, in discussing the 
late world war, is quoted as saying that the United 
States had been made the 'goat' of England, that 
we had no just cause for entering the war, and that 
we got nothing out of it but loss of men and money. 
If it were undignified for Admiral Sims to apply the 
term 'jackasses' to a certain group of American 
citizens because of their attitude on the Irish ques- 
tion, I submit that it is a much graver breach of 
good form — if not something more serious — to say 
that we were made the 'goat' by any nation; and 
it is obviously absurd to say that we had been in- 
veigled into the war by England to save her men 
and money. Why can't we be perfectly frank about 
it and admit that our chief reason for entering the 
war was to save our own skins and our national 
honor at a time when the whole world was in 
danger? I have three sons who were officers In the 
American army. They gave their services to help 
defend their own nation and maintain their own per- 
sonal honor. 

It doesn't seem possible that any sane man can 
think we had no just cause for entering the war, 
after the imperial German government had com- 
mitted repeated acts of war against the government 
and people of the United States of America. Did 
it mean nothing that the German emperor had said 
to our ambassador that he would stand for no 
nonsense from this country, and that he would take 
care of us after he had finished with the allies? Did 
it mean nothing that Belgium had been raped, that 
France had been devastated, and the safety of the 



51 



whole world had been threatened? Surely it must 
be evident now to any thinking man that had we 
not joined the allies when we did, this nation would 
be in chaos today and would forever have to bow 
her head in shame. I am not one of those who fool- 
ishly say that the United States won the war. True, 
we were a factor, but other nations splendidly did 
their part, and we honor them for it. If we are fair 
and honest about the matter, we will admit that the 
greatest factor in winning the war was the British 
navy. It bottled up the German fleet in the Keil 
canal; it kept the enemy from our front yard. It 
was a very material aid in keeping open the sea 
lanes through which our troops were transported. 
Indeed I am sure that it is not an exaggeration to 
say that had it not been for the British navy, it is 
doubtful if we would have been able to land a 
single battalion upon the battle fields of France. 
What can be the purpose of this constant attempt to 
villify England? Why this damnable propaganda to 
drive a wedge between the United States and Great 
Britain who are now and always should be good 
friends? It is because certain people do not care 
a snap of the finger if the whole world is endangered 
so long as Great Britain is disorganized and Ireland 
can obtain national independence. Here let me 
state that it can be said to the great credit of 
Scotchmen in this country, whether they be Scotch- 
men by birth or descent, that neither during the 
war nor at any other time have they been villifiers, 
but they responded to the call of their country in its 
time of need without murmur or question, as they 
have always responded, either in the land of their 
birth or in the land of their adoption. 

I want it distinctly understood that I raise no 
question about any man's religion, nationality or 
political affiliations. Whether a man be Christian 
or Jew, Mohammedan, Protestant or Catholic, he has 



52 



a right to worship his God as he deems proper, and 
I cheerfully respect that right. Nationality is an 
incident of birth over which the individual had 
no control. A man's political affiliations should be 
governed by common sense and his conscience. This 
is a free country, and every man has a right to 
his own opinion so long as he violates none of the 
laws of the land; but I do protest that no man has 
the right to say that we were made the 'goat,' or 
ever will be made the 'goat,' of any nation on the 
face of God's earth. 

Aggrandizement was not our purpose in enter- 
ing the war, and yet I challenge the right of any 
man — I care not who he may be or what his position 
in life — to say that we got nothing out of the war. 
We helped to save the world, and we did save our 
own national soul." 

Great bursts of applause punctuated the doctor's 
speech. Dr. Kennedy introduced the various speak- 
ers of the evening in his own inimitable way. 

Presentation to Colonel Walter Scott 

Dr. Kennedy then called upon Rev. Dr. Jack, who 
presented Colonel Scott, on behalf of the Burns 
Club, with a miniature in bronze of the Detroit Burns 
Statue, in the following speech: 
"Colonel Scott: 

A great honor has been conferred upon me this 
evening in being asked to present you with this 
replica of the statue of Robert Burns. This statu- 
ette could not be given in sacred trust to a more 
worthy representative of Scottish traditions than 
yourself. It is our dearest wish. Colonel Scott, that 
this little thing may often remind you of the pleasant 
and precious associations of this day and this even- 
ing. We are living in a time when all true men 
should seek earnestly the things that make for 



53 




REV. HUGH JACK, D. D., LL. D. 



peace and civil concord. And especially in this new 
Land, the melting pot of the world, it becomes us 
all as good Americans to extend to all our fellow 
citizens the hand of fellowship and helpfulness. In 
doing this we will emulate the life and the labor 
of Robert Burns whose name we honor and whose 
memory we cherish. And now. Colonel Scott, I pre- 
sent to you this replica in the name of the Detroit 
Burns Club. May you long be spared to look upon 
this representation of the face and form of him 
whose untimely death we mourn, but whose graces 
and glories of mind and heart are perennial." 

After Dr. Jack had made the presentation, it was 
some seconds before Colonel Scott could reply. He 
responded in part as follows: 



54 



"Mr. Chairman, Dr. Jack, and You my Friends 
(and I use the word 'friends' advisedly): 

I cannot say that I am wholly surprised at this 
wonderful gift of trust at your hands, for it was 
hinted to me a few minutes ago that this beautiful, 
artistic, lifelike bronze model of the Detroit Burns 
Statue was my property. But after what Dr. Jack 
has said, and I know that it really is mine, I find 
that my heart is beating pretty fast, and full realiza- 
tion of the kindness and thoughtfulness expressed 
by you in this manner brings a himp to my throat. 
I can but marvel at the unselfishness of the Detroit 
Burns Club in parting with this, the only model. 
And yet, believing all that Dr. Jack has said in your 
behalf, I shall accept it in the same spirit in which 
it is given, because, as I often remark, I am a great 
believer in the giving of such flowers while one is 
alive instead of after one has gone; for we are all 
reminded very strongly at times that no one has yet 
returned from the Great Beyond to hear what has 
been said by his friends (or otherwise), or to read 
the inscription on his tombstone. 

I have been honored many times during my life, 
and possess a large number of tokens of love and 
esteem, but I can assure you — one and all — that 
none will be more precious to me than this minia- 
ture of the statue of our beloved poet that you have 
entrusted to my keeping. 1 assure you that it will 
be guarded while I am alive, and if I am called away 
it will be left in hands that will truly appreciate it. 

Again may 1 say 'Thank you,' 'Thank you' for this 
priceless gift, presented on this memorable day of 
the unveiling of the Detroit Burns Statue, and for 
the atmosphere of kindly thouglit that surrounds it?" 

In calling upon Colonel Scott to make the address 
on "Burns, the Prophet" for which his name appear- 
ed on the program. Dr. Kennedy said it had afforded 
him very great pleasure indeed to make Colonel 



55 



Scott's acquaintance that day. It was not difficult 
for anyone to see why Colonel Scott had such a 
warm place in the hearts of his legion of friends. 

Address by Colonel Walter Scott 

"Dr. Kennedy, And You My Fellow Admirers and 
Lovers of Burns; 

I would not be following the dictates of my heart 
if I did not express my thanks to the Committee at 
this time for making possible this gathering today, 
and if I did not congratulate one and all who fos.- 
tered the idea of erecting this statue upon the reali- 
zation of their dream; and I do extend the heartiest 
kind of congratulations to the Detroit Burns Club 
and to Its genial president, Mr. Goodwillie, also the 
Jean Armour Club, composed of the lassies, without 
whose help and co-operation we would not be here 
today. 

I also thank the Committee for the opporturity to 
bring you tonight a niessage of good cheer and con- 
gratulation from the largest organization of Scotch- 
men and their descendants in the world; and may I 
add, from the hundreds of American Scottish Socie- 
ties — composed of both men and women — tliroughout 
the United States. They, too, are with us in spirit, 
and participate in the events of this history-making 
day. And would it not be quite proper to say that 
the brother memorial statues which have been 
erected all over the country also send greetings, for 
I know, could they but speak, that they would join 
us in congratulating this fair city of Detroit upon 
adding one more member to the family of Robert 
Burns statues. 

In gathering here today to pay this high tribute to 
the memory of our beloved poet, we are but once 
more saying to the world that Robert Burns still 



56 



lives; in fact, that he never died, because as Camp- 
bell said, 'To live in the hearts of those we leave 
behind is not to die.' The Queen of Roumania wrote 
at the centenary of Burns' death: 

'Scots, your Burns is not yet dead, 
His wondrous song has never fled; 

Scots, your Burns is never dead. 

He's your heart and life and head.' 

Today we are echoing that sentiment. By the 
erection of this statue we bear witness to the un- 
dying fame of one born in a wee 'but an' ben' in Ayr, 
who today lives in Castle Heart, situated in the 
breasts of the peoples of the earth; and they thank 
God that he was given to the world, and for the great 
truth contained in his beautiful song — that all were 
born equal and should have the same opportunity 
for life and liberty (which, however, should not be 
mistaken for license.) 

I am grateful to be allowed the opportunity to add 
even a word to all that has been said in praise of 
Burns, from the time of his birth to the present. It 
can still be safely predicted that the half has not 
been told, for the theme of the poet of mankind 
grows greater and greater with the passing of the 
years. He draws closer to the people, for he was 
of the people. He stood for them as perhaps no 
other poet has done. His words ring out for them. 
As he once said: 

'But while we sing 'God Love the King,' 
We'll nae forget the people.' 

From boyhood there throbbed within the breast 
of Robert Burns a big, loving, sympathetic heart, 
and he was gifted with a vivid imagination of the 
beautiful in country, song and story. His musings 
early found an outlet in song, and soon after he had 



57 



read the life of Wallace (at the age of about sixteen), 
he wrote his first verse to 'Handsome Nell': 

'O, once I loved a bonnie lass, 

Ay, and I love her still! 
And whilst that virtue warms my breast, 

I'll love my handsome Nell!' 

From that period he devoted much of his time to 
writing, and gradually became the great poet and 
prophet. Unappreciated and unhappy as he was in 
life, we find that when his earthly pilgrimage was 
about to end, and he knew his soul would soon be in 
flight, he could see the future as in a vision, and 
therefore could prophesy; for as you will remember, 
he said to his heart's real love — his Bonnie Jean — 
*A hundred years hence they will think more of me 
than they do now.' And so it was, and is, and will 
be as the years pass. It is safe to say tonight that 
a century from now Robert Burns will be even 
better loved than he is today. 

Uppermost in the mind of the poet throughout life 
was Bonnie Scotland — his native land — the wondrous 
beauty of her mountains and glens, her hills and 
dales, her lakes, her rivers, her wealth of purple 
heather, her modest bluebells, her castles, her 
legends, her heroes and her heroines. One can fully 
realize his ambition for the land of Bruce and of 
Wallace upon reading those well-known lines: 

'E'en then a wish (I mind its pow'r) 
A wish that to my latest hour 

Shall strongly heave my breast. 
That I for poor auld Scotland's sake 
Some usefu' plan or book could make, 

Or sing a sang at least.' 

And so the seed he planted so many years ago will 
continue to grow and flourish through the millions 



58 



who have worshiped at his shrine, and the millions 
who will follow. 

His vision made plain to him all this, and yet sad 
it is that now, as then, we save our kind words and 
flowers 'till the loved one has fled. Just think what 
it would have meant to Burns in those last troubled 
hours if he could have heard a few of the kind words 
that came so soon after he had gone; or if the loan 
of a few pounds for his family had been forthcoming 
at that sad time, his anguish might have been soft- 
ened and he might have said 'goodbye' with a lighter 
heart. And yet today we pay six thousand dollars 
for one of those flrst books of his! Oh, that we 
could learn that great lesson of lessons — to give 
the roses when one is alive and can enjoy their 
beauty and inhale their fragrance! 

Still, perhaps it was God's way of having Burns 
reborn for humanity, for it was only a matter of 
hours until Dumfries knew, and only a few days 
until Scotland and the world knew that a great and 
new star was in the heavens, and that its name was 
Robert Burns. When the world began to realize 
what it had really lost in the passing of the poet, it 
straightway forgot all that was unworthy in his life 
and strove to make him one of the immortals; and 
ever since men have been endeavoring to honor and 
perpetuate his name. To the Scottish people his 
works come next to the Book of Books. His natal 
day is celebrated the world over, as is that of no 
other writer or poet. As Lord Curzon said a few 
days ago at the unveiling of the statue of George 
Washington in London: 'More speeches about him 
have been delivered than about any one, with the 
possible exception of Robert Burns.' Nowhere are 
there greater or more of these Burns celebrations 
than in the United States, and no country — not even 
Scotland — can boast of more Scottish Societies that 



59 




MR. JOHN CAMERON 
Chairman of Committee 



bear his name, or more statues of the poet than 
can we here in America. 

Let us repeat, then, that Burns was not only a 
poet, but a prophet. The great tie that binds all of 
Scottish blood together, both at home and abroad, 
is cemented by his words and memory. Particularly 
here in America do we believe he would have been 
a great American, therefore with other lands we 
adopt him, placing the ring of kinship on his finger 
and making him a beloved member of the family. 

Burns believed in liberty, as do we, and we can 
rejoice that we of this generation have witnessed 
the fulfillment of the God-given Vision which dis- 
closed to him the fact that in the future the Anglo- 
Saxon race would speak as one in all that stood for 
humanity, love of country, and democracy. And who 
shall gainsay that perchance, down the long vista of 
the years, he beheld the splendid manhood of Great 
Britain, and that of her kith and kin in the United 
States, marching to battle with banners side by 
side — saw them standing shoulder to shoulder as a 
stone wall to assist France and the Allies in defense 
of the truth that 'might' does not make 'right,' and 
that the peoples of the earth have the right to live 
as God, and not man, shall decree. We pray tonight 
that this international marriage will never be 
severed by man. We know it will not be by the One 
who reigns on high. 

The sayings of Burns remain with the reader. I 
am reminded of an incident that took place many 
years ago on one of my visits to Chicago. I was 
anxious to view the statue of Burns that had been 
erected in that city, and upon riding through the 
parks asked the chauffeur if he knew of such a 
statue. He replied that he had seen many statues 
thereabouts, but that the only one he could remem- 
ber was one bearing the inscription, 'A Man's a 
Man For a' That.' And so once more we behold the 



61 



fruit of the seed sown by Burns so many years ago 
when he wrote those remarkable words that have 
swept the world: 

'Is there for honest poverty 

That hangs his head, an' a' that? 
The coward slave, we pass him by, 

We dare be poor for a' that! 
For a' that an' a' that, 

Our toils obscure, an' a' that, 
The rank is but the guinea's stamp. 

The man's the gowd for a' that.' 

In this verse Burns proclaimed the democracy of 
the world, the doctrine of equality and patriotism, 
and of religious liberty. 

Burns wrote for the love of writing and not for the 
'bawbees'. Things might have been different if he 
had, and yet he was like the Scottish race — he 
wanted to be independent, to live honestly before all 
men, and to pay his just dues. With all his pride 
he wanted kindness, and would have returned it 
tenfold. 

As did many in the times in which he lived. Burns 
enjoyed Society and all that went with it. At the 
same time he was keenly sensitive, and who will 
not agree with the statement that if the kirk had 
given him the kind word instead of the reprimand, a 
certain portion of his history might never have been 
written. 

Burns knew the frailty of man; indeed no one 
better knew it, for his own life was a sad example 
of it. He realized that he needed help from the 
Father above, and he truly believed in God. One 
can almost see his very soul in that sublime sermon 
of sermons given to the world when death hovered 
near: 



62 



'O Thou unknown, Almighty Cause 

Of all my hope and fear; 
In whose dread presence, ere an hour 

PerhAps I must appear, — 

If I have wandered in those paths 

Of life I ought to shun, 
As something loudly in my breast 

Remonstrates I have done. 

Thou knowest that Thou hast formed me 
With passions wild and strong; 

And list'ning to their witching voice 
Has often led me wrong. 

Where human weakness has come short, 

Or frailty stepped aside, 
Do Thou, All Good, — for such Thou art — 
In shades of darkness hide. 

Where with intention I have erred, 

No other plea I have. 
But Thou art good; and goodness still 
Delighteth to forgive.' 

Burns was the poet of Nature as well. He saw 
its grandeur and beauty — from the heather-clad 
mountains to the lowly daisy — as only a child of 
Nature could see it. We know that his great loving 
heart for humanity and Nature went home in glory 
to the Creator of all things, because in all Nature's 
realm he saw Truth — in the heavens and on the 
earth, and in all there was on the earth, from the 
wee mouse and the tiny flower to the giant mountain. 
How could it be otherwise of one who, standing in 
the open field, could gather inspiration from the 
modest daisy leveled to the ground by his plow, and 
breathe such words — beautiful in their very sim- 
plicity — as : 



63 




MISS JEAN ARMOUR BURNS BROWN 
Great-Grand-Daughter of Robert Burns 



'Wee, modest, crimson-tipped flow'r, 
Thou's met me in an evil hour. 
For I maun crush amang the stoure 

Thy slender stem; 
To spare thee now is past my pow'r 

Thou bonie gem.' 

And can we not all truly appreciate the reverence 
in his heart for home, family, and all it meant to 
humanity and country, when he described so under- 
standingly the family life of Scotland in those never- 
to-be-forgotten lines of 'The Cotter's Saturday 
Night': 

'From scenes like these, old Scotia's grandeur 
springs. 

That makes her lov'd at home, rever'd abroad: 
Princes and lords are but the breath of kings, 

'An honest man's the noblest work of God.' 

Would that we had more of such home life today 
In all lands. 

And what can we not say in praise of that patri- 
otic, soul-stirring, battle-hymn of Scotland? Burns 
must have lived over the period that gave birth to 
that great hero — Wallace — and how his blood must 
have leaped! Indeed his soul must have taken fancy- 
flights to Bannockburn — that Gettysburg of Scotland. 
And what an exalted vision of Wallace and Bruce, 
and the independence of Scotland (which she re- 
tains today) must have been his when he wrote 
those immortal lines: 

'Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled, 
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led. 
Welcome to your gory bed 
Or to victorie!' 

We speak from the heart when we say that we 
can never be thankful enough for the 'World's Doc- 



65 



trine' — that 'Creed of Nations' penned by Burns — 
which, if heeded, would have meant no war. We 
hope that it will soon be as he wrote; 

"Then let us pray that come it may 

(As come it will for a' that) 
That Sense and Worth o'er a' the earttt 

Shall bear the gree an' a' thatl 
For a' that an' a' that, 

It's comin' yet for a' that, 
That man to man the world o'er 

Shall brithers be for a' that,' 

And last but not least, the poet gave to us that 
friendship bond — that get-together as well as. parting 
song — that reads: 

'And there's a hand, my trusty friend 
And gi'e's a hand o' thine.' 

Thus we have the 'World's Doxology,' simg in all 
languages the world over: 

'Should auld acquaintance be forgot 
And never brought to mind? 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot. 
And auld lang syne.' 

Had Robert Burns written only the verses just 
quoted he would have been entitled to all the 
h image that is paid his memory today, for they 
stand for Brotherhood, Democracy, Liberty, the Peo- 
ple, Happiness, and the worship of God. 

And so now before that shrine in our hearts we can 
say we thank God that Robert Burns was born, and 
that he died to be reborn. The world owes his 
memory a debt on which even the interest can 
never be paid, and a large part of that debt is be- 
cause of his great love for Scotland, her race and 
her tongue; and while the world concedes that he 
was born in Scotland and that his dust is there, yet 



66 



lie is a citizen of the world. 

In illustration of this, may I quote the famous 
verses penned by that well-known thinker and 
speaker of the English language, Robert Ingersoll, as 
he stood — inspired — beneath the roof of Burns' birth- 
place in Ayr — that shrine of shrines; 

'Though Scotland boasts a thousand names 

Of patriot, king and peer. 
The noblest, grandest of them all 

Was born and cradled here; 
Here lived the gentle peasant prince. 

The loving cotter king, 
' Compared with whom the greatest lord 

Is but a titled thing. 

Within this hallowed hut I feel, 

Like one who clasps a shrine 
When the glad lips at last have touched 

That something dreamed divine. 
And here the world through all the years, 

As long as day returns, 
The tribute of its love and tears 

Will pay to Robert Burns.' 

Once more, then, in song and story we rekindle a 
flood of Burns memories. We scatter seed for 
future generations when we honor this beautiful City 
of Detroit, and ourselves, by erecting here another 
statue of our greatly beloved poet — a monument 
that will stand for all time to proclaim that the 
world is richer because Robert Burns lived in it." 

More Messages of Congratulation 

Dr. Kennedy then read the following cablegram 
and telegrams of congratulation which had been 
received: 



67 



From Major R. S. Archer, V. D., secretary, Burns 
Club, Liverpool, England: 

"Am with you in spirit — .Scotch of course." 
From Mr. A. G. Findlay, Royal Chief, Order of 
Scottish Clans, Portland, Oregon: 

"Please convey to our brother Scots of De- 
troit, congratulations from the Order of Scot- 
tish Clans, and also personal congratulations, 
on this most auspicious occasion. Scotland's 
Bard has no warmer admirers than in Detroit. 
Sure Goodwillie and confreres will he more 
than repaid for their efforts through the pride 
Detroit citizens will take in their monument." 
From Mr. Duncan Machines, Royal Treasurer, 
Order of Scottish Clans, New York, N. Y.: 

"Today's manifestation in honor of the poet 
of Democracy and Humanity adds another 
bright star to the glorious constellation en- 
circling the world, proclaiming universal hom- 
age to his genius, and surely hastening the 
day 'When Man to Man, the World o'er, will 
brothers be, for a' That.' " 
From Mr. Thomas R. P. Gibb, Royal Secretary, 
Order of Scottish Clans, Boston, Mass.: 

"Regret my inability to be with you at the 
unveiling of the statue of Robert Burns. Con- 
gratulation to your Club on consummation of 
years of loyal efforts to erect a memorial to 
our great Bard. Lovers of Burns in every 
land join with you in paying homage to him 
who is Scotland's greatest gift to the world." 
Letters of congratulation and greeting were also 
received from the Caledonian Society, Colorado 
Springs, Colo.; The Burns Club, Akron, Ohio; Prin- 
cipal Edwin L. Miller; Mr. Thomas MacLaren, Colo- 
rado Springs; and Mr. Wm. J. Dawson, secretary of 



68 



the Detroit Lodge of Elks. Mr. Dawson's letter was, 
in part, as follows: 

"I congratulate the citizens of Detroit of 
Scottish ancestry that there is erected in De- 
troit an abiding memorial to that most gifted 
of all her sons; for I feel that Robert Burns 
has laid the English-speaking people of what- 
ever ancestry under lasting obligation, not 
only by the spell of his matchless art, but for 
his broad humanitarianism, his sympathy with 
the poor and lowly, asserted at a time and 
under conditions when caste, its distinctions 
and its cruelties, was more in evidence than 
it is today under the levelling influence of 
American democracy. 

The same hand that traced the lines of 
'Scots W'ha Hae Wi' Wallace Bled,' in ex- 
pression of the martial spirit of the Scottish 
race, penned with tender reverence the lines 
in 'The Cotter's Saturday Night,' and pro- 
claimed in trumpet tones to a waiting world, 
'The Rank is but the Guinea Stamp, the Man's 
the Gold for a' that.' 

It was Burns who anticipated the expression 
at a later day, what Lincoln said under other 
circumstances, 'God must have loved the com- 
mon people because He made so many of 
them.' 

Thank God for Burns and for what Burns 
contributed to the sovereign graces of life — 
Home, Love and Freedom, and that we today, 
in a spirit of civic pride, can salute his statue 
in this great metropolis of ours, throbbing 
with commercial activities; that we can pause 
in the presence of his counterfeit present- 
ment and lift our souls for a brief moment to 
the noble ideals which he pursued and be- 
queathed as a heritage to an admiring pos- 
terity." 

69 



Regrets for inability to be present were received 
from the following gentlemen: Senator Truman H. 
Newberry; Congressman George P. Codcl; Congress- 
man Vincent C. Brennan; Hon. Edwin Denby, secre- 
tary of the Navy; Hon. Frank T. Lodge; Hon. F. S. 
Maclennan, Justice of the Supreme Court, Montreal, 
Quebec; Judge John H. Goff. 

In introducing Professor Robert M. Wenley, of the 
University of Michigan, as the next speaker, Dr. Ken- 
nedy remarked that it was doubtful if there was 
another man in the country with so many doctor's 
degrees. 

Address by Professor R. M. Wenley 

"Ladies and Gentlemen: 

Although it is incumbent upon me to stick to 
Burns, I am asking myself. How does he relate him- 
self to Scotland as I see both after a quarter of 
a century in the United States? For, so long as 
one remains in the Old Land, he accepts everything 
as a matter of course, asking no questions and, conse- 
quently, missing much. While, after thinking things 
over at this distance, both the poet and his native 
country acquire new significance. Let us try to see 
why. 

Till the beginning of the eighteenth century, Scot- 
land was a barbarous place — we may as well admit 
It — out of the main stream of European civilization. 
Small wonder. From 80 A. D., the upper date of 
reliable historical evidence, till the final establish- 
ment of Presbyterianism, in 1690, a period of more 
than sixteen centuries, the inhabitants were caught 
in a continuous series of struggles. The conflict with 
the Romans was followed by the civil war between 
Scots, Picts, Britons and Angles; eventual control the 
prize. Contests connected with the consolidation of 
the kingdom came next, to be succeeded by the hun- 
dred years' war with England, when no less than 



70 



three hundred and eighty-four battles were fought, 
with an estimated loss to the Scots of one million 
killed. The strife between the Crown and the Barons 
tapped all resources for a time, to be succeeded by 
the even more terrible Wars of Religion. Thus, till 
the eighteenth century opened, Scotland had been so 
harried that she never enjoyed a bare chance to con- 
tribute her snare to the constructive influences which 
go to the upbuilding of human culture. When at 
length her opportunity did come, the efflorescence was 
exceptional, and Burns stood forth in the midst. The 
eight greatest Scots were born within one hundred 
and twenty-seven years of one another; Greece re- 
quired one thousand years to bring her twelve to 
birth; France even more for her thirteen; England 
nine hundred and forty for her seventeen. Between 
the birth of Hutcheson (1694) and that of Clerk Max- 
well (1831), some one hundred and fifty-five men of 
real mark appeared. This from a group numbering 
about one million at the beginning of the period, one 
million and three-quarters at the end! 

It was a time of change and, latterly, of excitement. 
Moreover, despite Hume's bitter lament that he had 
'the misfortune to write in the language of the most 
stupid and facinerious barbarians in the world,' the 
Union with England proved an infinite boon, not 
least to Hume himself! But the Scots preserved 
their distinctive nationalism, and continued to pre- 
serve it, thanks in no small measure to the influence 
of Burns. Due to men like Denina, the Italian his- 
torian, and Hegel, the Swabian philosopher, the in- 
tellectual primacy of Scotland became matter of com- 
mon knowledge in Europe. Even Voltaire, little 
given to compliment, expressed his 'vast astonishment 
that from remote Scotland should come rules for 
taste on all questions from an epic to a garden.' 
Obviously, there were reasons, and these reasons had 
much to do with the formation of the genius of our 
greatest poet. 

71' 



Although it happens to be of prime importance, I 
can but dismiss with a mere reminder one of these 
reasons. The people of the United States treat us 
Scots with distinguished consideration. They tell us 
that our word is as good as our bond, that we can 
do what we undertake just a little better than we 
profess, and so on. But even so, they lump us all in 
one group, not realizing a great contrast within the 
nation, the profound difference between Puritan and 
Jacobite, between moralist and man-of-the-world. To 
our good friends in America we are all Puritans, 
blood brothers of Knox and Carlyle. The Jacobite 
minority, very small, but very distinct, escapes them 
entirely. By comparison with Knox and Carlyle, 
Scott and Ruskin cut small figure. And yet, precisely 
this difference had everything to do with what may 
be called the universality of Burns, just as it has had 
everything to do with the most characteristic Scots 
achievements in intellect and spirit. For, the Puri- 
tan, while reactionary in morals and in aesthetic 
judgment, stood for the principles commonly asso- 
ciated with democracy; 'a man's a man for a' that' 
expressed his inward conviction, his ineradicable in- 
dividualism. The Jacobite, on the other hand, stuck 
by reactionary political principles, but he knew the 
joy of life and was pervious to aesthetic values. Burns, 
familiar with both, bred in the bone of the one, 
subtly drawn by the other, rose above both, and thus 
contrived to divine and express the fundamental hu- 
manity which each group saw in part. Thus he gave 
form and pressure to the human type as it is in all 
ages, everywhere. He caught the timeless. He lib- 
erated man by allying him with what is greater than 
self or party, teaching him the joy of higher devotion. 
I urge that we show our love for him, not by mere 
conventional praise, but by study of the essential 
movements whence he extracted the prime, death- 
less import. 



72, 



Further, pray recollect the variety of his work, 
immense in so brief a life, under such narrow cir- 
cumstances. He has left some two hundred and 
seventy songs, whereof sixty are indubitably immor- 
tal. His poems number about one hundred and fifty. 
Among them are some twenty-two that cannot taste 
of death; Tarn O'Shanter and The Jolly Beggars, for 
instance. The latter I take to be his masterpiece; 
we must go back a long two thousand years to find 
its peer— to Aristophanes, indeed, the foremost come- 
dian the world has known. Moreover, although the 
songs, poems, and a few of the one hundred epitaphs 
are ever on our lips, we must not forget the prose 
remains — they fill three large volumes. Here are 
many notes, fragments, comments, and the so-called 
Autobiography (addressed to Dr. Moore). But, 
significant as these are, they pale beside the letters, 
of which we have more than four hundred and sev- 
enty. These must be read again and again by all 
V no would know the real person behind the songs 
and poems. They are full of wisdom, of pathos and, 
no less, of the drawbacks which encompassed the man. 
Look at the wisdom of Burns' attitude towards the 
French Revolution, for example. It is so timely 
and so charged with insight that we may well 
learn lessons from it for application to the 
dire things experienced by ourselves these last seven 
years. 'The uninformed MOB may swell a nation's 
bulk; and the titled, tinsel, courtly throng may be 
its feathered ornament; but the number of those who 
are elevated enough in life to reason and reflect, and 
yet low enough to keep clear of the venal contagion 
of a court — these are a nation's strength.' Yea, verily! 
This timeliness ranks Burns' correspondence with 
the more famous letters of Cowper and Byron. The 
quotation I have read states bed-rock truth. How 
sadly we stand in need of it in these days of irre- 
sponsible chatter, of empty echoes, of sectarian class 



73 




ROBERT M. WENLEY, D.Ph., Sc.D., Litt.D.,L.L.D., D.C.L. 
Professor of Philosophy, University of Michigan 



appeals! Nay, are we not tempted to say to France 
herself just what Burns said, in a letter to Robert 
Graham, written in 1793? 'As to France, I was her 
enthusiastic votary in the beginning of the business. 
When she came to show her old avidity for conquest 
* * * I altered my sentiments.' 

Yes, let us not give mere conventional praise to 
our bard. Let us bethink us of his land and ours, of 
the pit whence we were digged — the better to com- 
prehend both, in order that we may better compre- 
hend ourselves. Let us reflect upon all his work, the 
better to understand why he was so universal, yet 
nevertheless, no miracle; rather a veritable man, 
authentic when so many were content, as they are 
still content, with vapid lip-service." 

President Neilson Again Stirs His Hearers 

President Neilson, of Smith College, on being called 
upon by the Toastmaster for a few remarks, got a 
rousing reception. Mr. Neilson said in part: 

"Ladies and Gentlemen: 

During the last twelve hours I have been in con- 
stant association with a group of Scots, and I have 
learned this from them — that Scottish stories, like 
good wine, improve with age. Not for long have I 
heard so many of the old stories told with so much 
gusto, and if we think that we know a better and 
more authentic way of telling them, that only adds 
to our enjoyment the pleasure of superiority. 

An occasion like the present naturally turns one's 
thoughts to questions of national sentiment, and I 
have been pondering on the peculiarities which mark 
the feeling of Scots for their native land and its 
traditions. For this feeling has peculiarities. Why 
is it that when one hears lists of so-called hyphen- 
ated citizens of the United States, Scottish-Americans 
are seldom or never included? Why is it that, though 

75- 



Scots are settled over the whole world, their presence 
never seems to be resented and there is never a trace 
of anti-Scottish feeling? It is certainly not from any 
lack of loyalty towards Scotland; the number and 
strength of such societies as this Burns Club of 
Detroit prove that. One reason is to be found in the 
fact that the political position of Scotland is such 
that her sons abroad may harbor the intensest feel- 
ing for her past glories, for her literature and tradi- 
tions, and the warmest recollections of what she gave 
them, without any intermixture of politics. What 
they are loyal to is a matter of culture and character, 
a spiritual and not a material thing; and in things 
of the spirit there is neither jealousy nor rivalry. 

We have here, I believe, the secret that is finally 
to give us the solution of the problem that comes 
from the mixture of populations that constitute the 
United States. The difficulties of that problem arise 
when people seek to maintain a double political 
allegiance, thinking that their feeling for the mother 
country is in some way bound up with its govern- 
ment. But such feelings have really little or nothing 
to do with governments. They spring from family 
life and love, from associations with landscape and 
custom and belief; and what the immigrant brings 
to America is a variety of personality, of tradition, 
of ideal, all of which can and ought to be absorbed 
by the American character still in process of forma- 
tion, and which produces conflict neither with the 
new allegiance nor the old. Consciously or uncon- 
sciously, the Scot abroad has acted on this principle. 
He has contributed to his new community his solidity 
and integrity of character, his industry, his faith in 
learning, his love of fair play. He has received in 
return opportunity to advance his own fortune and a 
welcome to the place in the community to which his 
personal worth gives him title. And no one objects 
when we gather as we have gathered today to honor 



76 



our foremost man of genius, or as we are gathered 
tonight to congratulate ourselves on our common 
origin. Our Americanism is suspected by no one 
on account of the persistence of our feeling for that 
gray land among the northern seas. 

'O, it's ill to break the bands that God decreed to 

bind! 
Still will we be the children of the heather and the 

wind. 
Though far awa' frae hame. O, it's aye for you and me 
That the broom is bloom in' bonnie in the North 

Countrie.' " 

Mrs. Spence's Talk 

The Toastmaster then called upon Mrs. Margaret 
Spence of New Jersey, Grand Chief Daughter of the 
Daughters of Scotia in the United States, who ex- 
tended congratulations, on behalf of her organiza- 
tion, to the Detroit Burns Club and Jean Armour 
Club on their splendid achievement in the erection 
of the lovely Burns statue in Detroit. Never, she 
said, had she seen such spontaneous enthusiasm for 
Burns as she had witnessed that day and the mem- 
ories of the day would long remain with her. 

Greetings from Atlanta, Ga., and 
Halifax. N. S. 

Mr. George P. Kirby, of Toledo, who was present as 
representative of the Burns Club of Atlanta, Georgia, 
gave a stirring address, complimenting the members 
of the Detroit Burns Club and the City of Detroit on 
the impressive ceremony at Cass Park that afternoon, 
and concluded by reading the following exquisite 
greeting from the Atlanta Burns Club: 



77 



"To the Members of The Detroit Burns Club: 

Greeting: — On this occasion, soon to pass 
Into history, with many others of similar 
character, when fresh laurels are added to the 
wreath of glory upon the brow of Scotland's 
immortal Bard — the world's best loved poet — 
The Burns Club of Atlanta congratulates you 
on the completion of your sacred task of the 
erection of another enduring memorial to him 
who has done more than any other poet since 
the inspired psalmist of Israel, to cheer and 
comfort the hearts of mankind; who was love's 
sweetest singer, and who was supremely the 
poet of manhood, freedom, democracy, and hu- 
man brotherhood. 

It is especially fitting that in this land of 
liberty and haven of the oppressed, such me- 
morials should arise to the poet, who sent 
ringing down the ages 'A Man's a Man For a' 
That,' with the aspiration that 'Man to Man, 
the world o'er shall brothers be, for a' that.' 

In honoring him as you have done, you have 
honored yourselves and your community, and 
have earned the plaudits of all lovers of Burns 
and of the things for which he stood. 

With assurances of the highest consideration. 

Yours most sincerely, 

(Signed) H. H. Cabaniss, 

President, The Burns Club of Atlanta." 

Dr. Kennedy then called upon Mr. John McDonald 
who represented the North British Society of Halifax, 
Nova Scotia, founded in 1768, and who brought the 
following letter of greeting from this venerable so- 
ciety: 



78 



"To the Burns Club, 
Detroit, Michigan. 

May I have the privilege of tendering to 
the Burns Club, and through it to the Scottish 
community of Detroit, the felicitations of the 
North British Society of Halifax, upon the 
occasion of the unveiling of the statue of Rob- 
ert Burns? My interest in the consummation 
of so splendid an undertaking was all the 
keener when I learned that the Burns statue 
of Detroit was to be a replica of the noble 
memorial to the best loved poet of Scotland 
which our Society completed and unveiled in 
Halifax in September, 1919, and is prized as 
one of the finest possessions and rarest assets 
of our City. 

The name of Burns is enshrined in the hearts 
of his countrymen, at home and in exile; his 
genius belongs to all the world; his fame en- 
dures through the ages; and yet it is meet 
that there should be fashioned in bronze and 
stone, outward and visible memorials of the 
poet, whose message appeals so tenderly to the 
heart, whose singing was attuned in sympathy 
with the joys and sorrows of mankind. So 
may we not hope that these statues of Burns — 
in Detroit and in Halifax, and wherever they 
stand in the English-speaking world — shall not 
only strengthen the bonds of our attachment 
to the homeland of our race but shall be speak- 
ing witnesses to generation after generation of 
the ideal of human brotherhood which was the 
fondest hope of the matchless singer to whom 
you so worthily do homage today. 

From New Scotland, cherishing the tradi- 
tions and glories of the Old, I have the honor 
to send to Scotsmen in Detroit our heartiest 



79 



greetings. May this exemplification of ttie pos- 
session of a common heritage unite your coun- 
try and ours more closely in friendship and 
good will, and may we sing in unison: 

'From the lone shieling of the Misty Island 
Mountains divide us and a waste of seas, 
But still the blood is strong, the heart is High- 
land, 
And when we dream, we see the Hebrides.' 

A. P. MacDoxald, 
President, North British Society, Halifax." 

Grand Master Mason Anderson 

Pressing Masonic duties prevented the attendance 
at the dinner of Mr. Robert P. Anderson, of Port 
Huron, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michi- 
gan, F. & A. M., but the Grand Master very kindly 
submitted a copy of the speech which he had intended 
to deliver, which follows: 

"Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

I feel a peculiar sense of pleasure, a privilege, I 
might declare it, being present on this auspicious 
occasion. I certainly appreciate the introduction 
given me by your Chairman and I accept it, not as 
a tribute to myself, but as a compliment to the Grand 
Lodge of Michigan Masons I have the honor to repre- 
sent. I have no doubt that a majority of this assem- 
bly are associated with the Masonic Institution. I 
believe I can say without fear of contradiction, that 
it is the greatest moral institution on God's green 
earth. It has done more toward maintaining the 
chastity of the home than all the armies and navies 
of the world. 

Four things are necessary when you write, preach 
a sermon, or talk business. First, you must attract 
attention; second, what you say must be understood; 



80 




MR. ROBERT P. ANDERSON 
Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Michigan, F. &. A. M. 

third, what you say must be believed, and for a found- 
ation for the whole thing you must have something 
to say that your audience would like to hear. Now 
listen! It is impossible for man or any body of men 
to build anything of a material form that will be 
everlasting. Do you doubt it? Let us look back over 
the history of the world and the countless ages that 
have passed since the Creation. The seven great 
wonders of the world could not withstand the action 
of the elements or the slow but certain ravages of 
Time. They are passing into oblivion. The greatest 
work of inspired art is the decoration of the Sistine 
Chapel at Rome by Michael Angelo and even this 
Time will efface. 



81 



This statue unveiled today, beautiful and artistic 
in design as it is, elegant in execution and perfect 
in symmetry, and occupying a prominent place in 
your wonderful city, has a material substance and 
cannot be as everlasting in the memory of man as 
the Poet himself. 

The poems of Robert Burns, like the Magna Charta 
and the Declaration of Independence, emanating from 
the mind of men, will withstand the action of the 
elements and the ravages of Time. They are and will 
be everlasting. 

Gentlemen of the Burns Club, I congratulate you 
upon your unity of intention and your purpose to per- 
petuate throughout the civilized world the memory 
of Robert Burns, Scotland's immortal poet, and our 
Masonic brother." 

During the evening the following songs were very 
effectively rendered by Mr. J. Cameron McLean, ac- 
companied by Mrs. Irene Whittaker Stephenson: 
"Gae Bring Tae Me a Pint o' Wine"; "Scots Wha 
Hae"; "Flow Gently Sweet Afton"; "A Man's a Man 
For a' That." Mr. McLean, who is an enthusiastic 
member of the Detroit Burns Club and one of the 
leading baritones of America, had to respond to many 
encores. Pipe-Major Bruce Cameron enlivened the 
proceedings by rendering several bagpipe solos. 

Suggestion by Colonel Walter Scott 

Just before the World's Doxology was sung, the 
toastmaster announced that Colonel Scott had a sug- 
gestion that he would like to make. 

Mr. Scott said in part that he had noticed with 
particular delight Mr. Goodwillie's remarks at the 
Statue that day to the effect that it was one of the 
proudest days of his life. He hoped that the Burns 
Club would not, as had been hinted, now disband. 
As a Burns lover and a business man, he wanted to 
say that it would be a great mistake for the Burns 



82 



Club not to continue to "Carry on." Everyone could 
say that the Burns Club had been successful and 
should be continued; and he thought, inasmuch as 
they had erected a statue of Burns, that they should 
not cease their good work. The suggestion mentioned 
was as follows: 

That inasmuch as Scotland had two minstrels who 
helped to make her what she is today, he would 
like to say to those present that he felt the name 
of the Club should be changed to the "Burns-Scott 
Club," and that it would be a splendid idea if they 
would at once take steps to erect a companion statue 
to that of Burns in the form of one to the great 
"Wizard of the North." He added that he knew that 
they could do it, and that it was right and proper 
that these two men who stand out so prominently 
in the history of Scotland should be honored alike; 
and furthermore that he would love to be one of the 
first subscribers to the fund for the erection of a 
statue to the memory of Sir Walter Scott. 

When those at the dinner were asked informally 
if they were in favor of this, the response was 
unanimous. 

The singing of "Auld Lang Syne" by the entire 
company brought to a close an evening that will be 
long remembered by all who were present. 

EDITORIALS ON THE EVENT IN 
DETROIT NEWSPAPERS 

The daily newspapers of Detroit have to be com- 
plimented on the splendid way in which they reported 
the events of "Burns Day in Detroit." For several 
weeks prior to the unveiling, they from time to time 
published articles, including pictures of the leading 
participants; and on the day of the unveiling and on 
the following day (Sunday), the two leading papers, 
"The Detroit Free Press" and "The Detroit News," 
devoted several columns to the event. On the follow- 



83 



ing Sunday the "Free Press" had a full page of 
beautiful pictures in the rotogravure section. A 
week later the "News" also had a splendid picture 
of the unveiling amongst the rotogravures. 

The fact that each of the English-speaking dailies 
of Detroit honored the occasion by publishing an edi- 
torial on Burns, was very gratifying to those who 
took an active interest in the movement. We have 
pleasure in giving these editorials a place in this 
souvenir volume. 

The Detroit Free Press: 

The Robert Burns Statue 

The statue of Robert Burns which was unveiled in 
Cass Park Saturday ought to be one of Detroit's 
really cherished possessions. The Scottish poet is far 
more than a national figure. He belongs in a vital 
way to the whole English-speaking world, and, out- 
side of his homeland, to no part is it more than to 
America, where millions of people read and admire 
his works. Indeed, there is something in the every 
day appeal of Burns that is peculiarly suited to the 
taste of this new world, where in spite of our rapid 
progress toward sophistication, we are still close to 
nature and quick to appreciate fundamental, genuine 
things. Robert Burns talks to us through his verse, 
and it is a good thing to have the figure of the man 
stand in a public place where we can occasionally 
look at it. 

The Detroit News: 

This is Robert Burns Day 

Today Detroit commemorates Robert Burns Day 
by unveiling the Detroit Burns statue. 

Although the little town of Alloway, Ayrshire, in 
the southwestern part of Scotland, claims "Bobbie" 
Burns as its own, thic great champion and singer of 
the rights of the common man belongs to all the 



84 



world and to all time. In his deathless poetry is to 
be found the call to arms of a great movement which 
has now fairly well swept the world; none ever de- 
nounced more vigorously than did Burns all those 
who sought to oppress the common man; democracy 
had never a more fearless and a more able singer. 

He was among the first to question the divine 
rights of the tyrant; he was among the first to exalt 
the rights of the common man: 

"If I'm designed yon lordling's slave — 
By Nature's law designed — 
Why was an independent wish 
E'er planted in my mind?" 

So sang Burns nearly a century and a half ago, 
and today every school boy can name a half dozen 
of the world's great events which have taken place 
since that day^and one of them very recently — to 
show that Robert Burns did not sing in vain. Nor 
was he a mere dissenter, a hot-headed rebel who cared 
for nothing but to destroy the power which others 
wielded. This is not true greatness; and Burns was 
truly great. 

True greatness is to be measured only in terms of 
the love one bears to his fellowmen. Of such love 
Burns had an abundance. Indeed it was his love for 
his fellowmen which led him to inveigh against the 
oppressors who grind the faces of the poor. The most 
unlettered peasant in the world could look to him as 
champion of his cause; the downtrodden of all the 
ages speak through him; Robert Burns utters the 
universal cry for justice. 

Nor was Burns without a great and splendid vision 
for the future. He held that vision as dear and 
saw it as clearly as any man ever saw it. He was 
one of the early singers of the song of the brother- 
hood of man: 



85 



"It's coming yet, for a' that, — 
That Man to Man, the warld o'er, 
Shall brothers be for a' that." 
This was the dream of a gentle soul many, many 
years ago in Scotland whose statue is unveiled today 
here in Detroit. 

37(6 Detroit Journal: 

Detroit and Burks 

Eight years of steady work lay behind the unveil- 
ing of a statue to Robert Burns in Cass Park on 
Saturday afternoon. The close of these years of 
work, the triumph of the movement, the actual pres- 
ence of the figure of the poet of Ayr under the trees 
of the old square, will help to link Detroit with the 
many other cities around the world who have raised 
such memorials. 

The place of Burns in the art of poetry is and 
will be a matter of much literary discussion. His 
place in the better thoughts of men, his intimate in- 
fluence on their finer feelings, the echoing of his 
phrases through the sentiment of millions of his fel- 
low creatures, are not matters of literary criticism. 
They are a part of the every day life and every day 
language of the world. 

This is due to the fact that though Burns thought 
in local images and spoke in local language, he felt 
with a universal emotion. There have been other 
Scottish poets, some of whom were loved by him and 
are loved by others, who know the heatherland. But 
Burns could take an old Lowland refrain like "a 
man's a man for a' that," and send it echoing through 
all the English-speaking world. Scores of Scottish 
airs, sung first to the words of earlier bards, have 
been captured by Burns' ditties solely because of his 
universal note of appeal. 

Detroit people have known Burns' concerts and 
Burns' birthday celebrations for many years, thus 

86 



sharing in a universal appreciation. It is only fitting 
that this universal appreciation sliould have its ex- 
pression in stone, a memorial at once to the greatness 
of the poet, and to the tact that the bardic songs of 
Bonnie Doon have been heard on these remote and 
echoing waters. 

The Detroit Times: 

We Honor Another Poet 

Detroit has hardly been fair to the poets. 
True we have emblazoned the names of some of 
them high up on the white walls of the new public 
library; but outside of the statue of Schiller at the 
crossing of the driveways on Belle Isle there is no 
"storied urn or animated bust" to bring to mind the 
immortal bards. 

But today we get Robert Burns, the plowman poet, 
in bronze, thanks to the devotion of the Robert Burns 
Society of Detroit, and that will go a long way to 
make up for our sin of omission. 

Well over a century since he sang, the message of 
this poet of freedom and of brotherhood is as much 
for this time as for the days of fetters and trammels 
when he raised his protesting voice. 

In fact we were fighting only recently and are now 
paying taxes to bring about his lyric vision of liber- 
ated mankind. 

So there is a special significance in the coming to 
us at this time of the sculptured presence of Scotia's 
singer and prophet. 

The statue is well-placed at the northern fringe and 
under the beautiful maples of Cass Park. 

From this vantage point Burns may watch the 
wonderful new temple of Masonry take form. He 
will see elaborate preparations to domicile some of 
those qualities of sympathy, charity, fraternity that 
make one's heart burn within him as he reads his 
glowing lines. 



87 




BURNS CLUB OFFICERS 



J. P. BROOMFIELD, Bard J. C. ROBERTSON, Tr step 

J. F. McKINLAY, Trustee 
W. S. ALLAN. Secretary T. G. WHITE, Treasure. 



So he watched the field-mouse, or the mountain 
daisy upturned by his plough, "wee, modest, crimson- 
tipped flower." 

Unschooled, Burns has evoked the admiration of 
the scholars of every land. Unbridled in some of his 
passionate tendencies, the pietists and moralists re- 
member only the ineffably tender and stainless things 
he put in his songs. 

In life it would not have been safe to entrust his 
sometimes rollicking feet to the limited surface of 
the pedestal where he now stands so securely; and 
one could fancy the Piety Hill mothers warning their 
daughters to keep away from Cass Park while that 
gay frequenter of the tavern was hanging about there. 

It is well to remind young men who are minded to 
emulate Robert Burns' youthful lapses — noting the 
honors now bestowed upon him — that they should 
make sure that they have the matchless, exquisite 
genius that will make the ages tolerant of their trans- 
gressions, before yielding to the call of the blood as 
Burns, "child of untamed passion, wild and strong," 
did betimes. 

Failing to possess the gifts that will make the 
world look their way and overlook their frailties, they 
will do well to draw their inspiration from the 
Robert Burns the ages remember. 



89 



THE DETROIT BURNS CLUB 
September, 1921 



President EDWARD GOODWILLIE 

First Vice-President JOHN SMITH 

Second Vice-President JOHN CAMERON 

Recording Secretary W. S. ALLAN 

Financial Secretary W. A. V. EDWARD 

Treasurer THOMAS G. WHITE 

Bard J. P. BROOMFIELD 

[ J. C. ROBERTSON 
Trustees { WILLIAM ROSS 

[ J. F. McKINLAY 



John Andrew 
James Baird 
Allan K. Cameron 
Hugh C. Chedester 
Peter Clark 
John L. Chalmers 
James Cochrane 
David Cousar 
Wm. L. CuUen 
Donald Currie 
Wm. Crawford 
James Duthie, Jr. 

A. P. Entenza 
Matthew Finlayson 
William Gibb 
William Getley 

B. C. Gibson 
Thomas Gollan 
B. H. Goodwillie 
D. E. Goodwillie 
Walter Gowans 
Peter C. Gray 
John R. Gunn 
William R. Cow 
Peter Grant 

Dr. T. J. Henry 
Dr. Robert Hislop 
Rev. Dr. Hugh Jack 
Alex. Jamieson 
John Law 
George Linklater 



Robt. D, Laidlaw 
Adam McKendrick 
Andrew McPherson 
Walter S. McGuffie 
Chas. D. McGregor 
J. Cameron McLean 
D. W. McGill 
David McKay 
Walter McLean 
Neil Macdonald 
A. M. MacGregor 
Norman MacGregor 
Maxwell MacGregor 
Dr. D. A. MacLachlan 

George Mould 

Donald Niven 

James M. Orr 

W. D. Pettigrew 

Harry Pritchard 

Hugh M. Paxton 

August Rankin 

H. L. Ridley 

George Robertson, Sr. 

George Robertson, Jr. 

William J. Stewart 

Ne.l R. Sutton 

James Tait 

Peter Tait 

John Tannahill 

Alex. Watson 

Alfred Woods 



90 



BURNS MONUMENTS 
in the United States 



1880— New York City 

A bronze statue of Burns, by Sir John Steel, the 
celebrated Edinburgh sculptor, was unveiled in Cen- 
tral Park. It is a companion statue to that of Sir 
Walter Scott, by the same sculptor, erected some 
years previously. 



1888— Albany. N. Y. 

Through the munificence of Miss Mary McPherson, 
a venerable and modest old lady, born in Scotland 
of humble parentage, a beautiful bronze statue of 
Burns, by Charles Calverley, a new York sculptor, 
was unveiled in Washington Park, Albany, capital of 
New Yoik State. 



1899 — Barre, Vermont 

The Burns Club of Barre, Vt., "The Granite City" 
of America, erected a statue of Burns in Spaulding 
Campus. The monument is unique in that it is en- 
tirely of granite — pedestal, panels, and statue. The 
sculptor was J. Massey Rhind, a leading New York 
sculptor, born in Edinburgh. 



91 



1904 — Denver, Colo. 

An imposing bronze statue of Burns, on a magnifi- 
cent pedestal of Colorado granite, was erected in the 
City Park, Denver, Colo, by the Caledonian Club. 
The statue was the work of an eminent Scottish 
sculptor, W. Grant Stevenson, R. S. A., who was the 
sculptor of the marble statue of Burns in Kilmarnock, 
Scotland. 

1906 — Chicago, III. 

Under the auspices of the Burns Monument As- 
sociation, there was unveiled in Garfield Park, Chi- 
cago, 111., a beautiful bronze statue, a replica of that 
at Denver. 

1908 — San Francisco, Cal. 

A Burns Statue Committee of prominent Scotsmen 
erected in Golden Gate Park a bronze statue of Burns, 
by a noted western sculptor, M. Earl Cummings. 

1909— Milwaukee, Wis. 

Mr. James A. Bryden. a retired citizen of Milwau- 
kee, of Scottish birth, presented to the city of his 
adoption a handsome bronze statue of Burns, a replica 
of that at Denver and Chicago, by W. Grant Steven- 
son, sculptor. It stands in Franklin Square. 

1911 — Atlanta, Georgia 

The Burns Club of Atlanta, Georgia, erected an 
exact replica of the Burns Cottage at Alloway, Scot- 
land, which they use as a club house. It is not only 
an unique but a beautiful monument, and stands on 
the famous battlefield of Atlanta, in the suburbs of 
the city. 



92 



1914 — Pittsburgh, Pa. 

An elegant bronze statue, representing Burns at 
the Plough, by J. Massey Rhind, sculptor, was erected 
in Schenley Park, Pittsburgh, Pa. It was presented 
to the city by eight millionaries, including Andrew 
Carnegie. 

1920^BosTON, Mass. 

The Burns Memorial Association of Boston, Mass., 
erected in Back Bay Fens, a statue of Burns, by a 
well-known American sculptor, Henry H. Kitson. 

1921 — Detroit, Mich. 

Under the auspices of The Detroit Burns Club, 
there was unveiled in Cass Park, Detroit, Mich., a 
beautiful statue of Burns by the late George A. Law- 
son, Hon. R. S. A. The statue is a replica in bronze 
of the much-admired statue of Burns at Ayr, Scot- 
land. 



Some American Tributes To Robert Burns 

Horace Greeley — "The Peasant-Poet — great in 
what he has done for the unpriviledged million; 
greater In what he has taught them to do for them- 
selves." 

R.\LPH Waldo Emersox- -"Not Latimer, not Luther, 
struck more telling blows against false theology 
than did this brave singer. The 'Declaration of Inde- 
pendence' and 'The Marseillaise' are not more 
weighty documents in the, history of Freedom than 
the Songs of Robert Burns." 



93 



James GreeN'leaf Whittier — "Robert Burns lives' 
on with a vitality whicti gathers strength from time. 
His fame broadens and deepens every year. The- 
world has never known a truer singer." 

W. CtTLLEN Bm'AA'T — "Bums was great because' 
God breathed into him, in greater measure than into 
any other man, the spirit of that love which con- 
stitutes His own essence, and made him more than, 
other men — a living soul. Burns was great by the 
greatness of his sympathies." 

Rev, Henry Ward Beech er — "The nation which 
read Burns in the nursery could never have tyrants 
in the Parliament House. The men who drink at 
Burns' spring will be too sturdy for oppression, too 
courageous for power to tamper with, and with too 
much self-respect for blandishment and bribes." 

Nathaniel Hawthorne (on viewing Burns' Birth- 
place.) — "In that humble nook, of all places in the 
world. Providence was pleased to deposit the germ, 
of the richest human life which mankind then had 
within its circumference." 

Olfver Wendell Holmes — "Burns ought to have 
spent ten years of his life in America, for those 
words of his: 

'A man's a man for a' that' 
show that true American feeling belonged to him as 
much as if he had been born in sight of the hill be- 
fore me as I write^Bunker Hill." 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

"But still the music of his song 
Rises o'er all elate and strong; 

Its master chords 
Are Manhood, Freedom, Brotherhood; 
Its discords but an interlude 
Between the words." 



94 



Wtlijam Jennings BRYAX^"Only those who speak 
from the heart and to the heart employ an universal 
language. Burns was a past master in the use of 
this language; he gave poetic expression to a sym- 
pathy that embraced the entire world; his words live 
"because tb.ey glow with the love that makes all 
mankind kin." 

David B. Henderson— (Late Speaker, U. S. House 
of Representatives.) — "Robert Burns was also a 
preacher — a preacher to humanity; and I tell you 
that if this old earth of ours had more such preachers 
in its pulpits, it would be a- better world." 

Senator William P. Frye, of Maine — "The name 
of Robert Burns has been, and is, dearer to more 
hearts than any other except alone that of Him who 
was born in a manger and died that we might live." 

Senator George F. Hoar, of Massachusetts^— "Burns 
hrought to the world the best message ever brought 
since Bethlehem, of love and hope and reverence for 
God and man. Humanity the round world over walks 
more erect for what Robert Burns said and sung." 

President Garfield — "Rising above the trammels 
of birth and poverty, he spoke for the great voiceless 
class of laboring men throughout the world, while 
kings and countries listened in amazement. He lived 
close to the beating heart of Nature; and all the 
rich and deep sympathies of life grew and blossomed 
in his own." 

James G. Blaine — 'Genius is not confined to lands 
or latitudes. Burns belongs to the world." 

Margaret Fuller — "Since Adam there has been 
none that approached nearer fitness to stand up be- 
fore God and angels in the naked majesty of man- 
hood than Robert Burns." 



95 



AuLD Lang Syne 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 
And never brought to min'? 
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 
And days o' lang syne? 

For auld lang syne, my dear, 
For auld lang syne; 
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet 
For auld lang syne. 

We twa hae run aboot the braes, 
And pu'd the gowans fine; 
But we've wandered mony a weary foot 
Sin' auld lang syne. 

We twa hae paidl't in the burn, 
Frae mornin' sun till dine. 
But seas between us braid hae roared 
Sin' auld lang syne. 

And surely you'll be your pint-stoup. 
And surely I'll be mine. 
And we'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet. 
For auld lang syne. 

And here's a hand, my trusty frien', 
And gie's a hand o' thine; 
And we'll tak' a right gude-willie waught, 
For auld lang syne. 



96 



